


The Hunter's Encyclopedia of Animals (First Edition)

by astralTYRANT



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Biology, Other, Zoology, an attempt at making sense of monster anatomy and physiology, suspension of disbelief where applicable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-28 05:32:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5079706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralTYRANT/pseuds/astralTYRANT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a comprehensive look at biodiversity and evolution, this must-have text covers the extraordinary adaptations that have allowed monsters to thrive in nearly every ecosystem. A guide for hunters, biologists, and enthusiasts alike, guaranteed to sharpen your mind and prepare you for whatever lies out there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Common Rath

**Kingdom:** Animalia  
**Phylum:** Chordata  
**Clade:** Gnathostomata **  
Clade:** Tetrapoda **  
Clade:** Amniota **  
Clade:** Diapsida **  
Clade:** Sauropsida **  
Clade:** Sauria **  
Clade:** Archosauria **  
Clade:** Ornithodira **  
Clade:** Dinosauria  
**Clade:** Saurischia  
**Clade:** Theropoda  
**Clade:** Viverna  
**Superfamily:** Gymnopteronoidea  
**Family:** Caelincolidae  
**Tribe:** Caelincolini **  
Genus:** _Mandibulaformia_  
**Species:** _M. terribilis_

 **Binomial name:**

_Mandibulaformia terribilis_

**Subspecies:**

Common rath, _M. t. terribilis_  
Resplendent rath, _M. t. resplendens_  
Metallic rath, _M. t. aurantia_

COMMON RATH  


INTRODUCTION

The **rath** ( _Mandibulaformia terribilis_ ) is one of three extant species in the genus _Mandibulaformia_ and a member of the family Caelincolidae. The widely-used term **common rath** collectively denotes the genetic variations and phenotypic discrepancies documented between “Old World” and “New World” raths found on the five major continents. With some males exceeding 4.1 metric tons and a length of over 17 meters, it’s one of the largest flying wyverns after the gravios, diablos, and gureadomosu. The rath is one of the most widely-dispersed land species following humans and wyverians. Their range encompasses most tropical, subtropical, and temperate biomes at max elevations of 2000 meters, with average rainfall in certain climates oscillating between 21 to 170 inches annually. The rath is a least concerned species, due to extensive management from the International Hunters’ Guild in regulating the number of individuals that can be killed or captured per year.

In the wild, females (rathians) have an average lifespan of 39 to 47 years, their longevity greater than the males’ (rathalos) at a range of 35 to 42 years. They are typically seen in forested midland ecosystems, although habitation has been observed in deserts, highlands, and volcanoes. Raths are typically solitary wyverns when unmated, and only shift their lifestyle to cooperative hunting during and after the mating season. _Prenuptial hunts_ —much like the ruts seen in even-toed ungulates (such as the kelbi)—are a part of the sexual selection process by which a rathian chooses a potential mate amongst various candidates (barring other selection factors). Raths are apex and keystone predators, although scavenging on carrion is estimated to contribute up to 35% of their diet. Direct attacks on human, wyverian, and lynian settlements are rare, and raths will seldom prey upon and consume them should they encroach their territory. Raths are predominantly diurnal, although nocturnal behavior is not unheard of.

Due to its widespread presence on nearly every continent, the rath is an easily-recognized animal symbol in many cultures. Depictions of raths date back to the earliest traces of civilization, with paintings of them seen on cave walls, masonry, and pottery. More telling is the presence of primitive weapons constructed from talons, claws, and spines, and armor fashioned from rath scales and plates, found on archeological digs. In ancient societies it was hailed as an omen of destruction, and in certain cultures its portentous reputation is alive and flourishing today. In many countries raths are hunted not only for equipment, but as parts of exotic dishes, with their ribs and loins in high demand in markets worldwide. Raths have been kept in menageries since before the formation of the Guild. Domestication and selective breeding of a related rath ancestor 40,000 years ago gave rise to the halk ( _Raptor domesticus_ ).

ETYMOLOGY  


The rath’s name is alleged to be a phonetic spelling of the Old English _wrāth_ meaning “rage,” or the archaic _wroth_ , “angry.” The suffixes -ian and -alos are species-specific bound morphemes denoting the sex of the individual. 

TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION

The rath’s closest living relatives include species in the genus _Mandibulaformia_ : the black rath ( _M. obscura_ ) and the crystal rath ( _M. alba_ ), in addition to flying animals in the genera _Aspiceros_ , _Raptor_ , _Barbarus_ , _Selacharena_ , _Metacarpium_ , _Redimiculum_ , _Squamasanguinans_ , and _Plesichthys_. 

**Subspecies**

Today, 2 subspecies of rath are formally recognized, distinguished by scale coloration, size, and distribution (despite overlap of ssp. ranges). 

The **resplendent rath** ( _M. t. resplendens_ ) is a subspecies most frequently seen at the Misty Peaks north of Yukumo Village, although its distribution encompasses much of the common rath’s. The sexually dimorphic features of _M. t. resplendens_ include more exaggerated differences in the melanosomes, giving the rathalos and rathian their distinctive blue and pink colorations, respectively. The exact time of genetic divergence remains unclear, as do the selective factors behind its colorations. A lack of geographic isolation indicates that genetic mutation, not allopatric speciation, resulted in this strain of rath, and that _M. t. resplendens_ is simply a color morph. Yet a lack of inbreeding between _M. t. terribilis_ and _M. t. resplendens_ suggests that in spite of these minor phenotypic differences, each subspecies has a shared mate recognition system, indicating further evolutionary divergence. 

The **metallic rath** ( _M. t. aurantia_ ) is a subspecies with a much more narrow distribution, rarely seen outside subtropical swamps and jungles, sometimes roosting in abandoned human infrastructure at high elevations. They are named for the metallic sheen and splendor of their gold- (rathian) and silver- (rathalos) colored scales. Little is known about the behavior and biology of this subspecies, given its elusiveness.

CHARACTERISTICS

The rath’s upper jaw features nares on a keratinized sheath called a _partial_ or _receding rhampotheca_ , a reduced and vestigial epidermal layer that might have once formed a complete rostrum in early theropod ancestors. The overall body is covered in backswept keeled scales, with large, keratin spines jutting down the length of its back and ending on its flattened, club-shaped thagomizer. The sides of its jaws support a bony outgrowth attached above the mandibular notch. Its face is framed by prominent spines and facial crests, with two arrow-shaped pinnae. The wings sport keratinized spines along the radius, with unique patterns on the underside of its patagium. Rathalos coloration ranges from crimson to merlot on its dorsal side, with paler beige scales. Rathians display either basil or olive green dorsal scales with a slightly duller hazelnut underbelly. Its feet are anisodactyly. 

All raths are sexually dimorphic; the rathian features more prominent needle-like spines on its collar, arm bones, and tail. These hollow spines connect to venom glands loaded with a potent necrotoxin. The rathian also possesses a single jutting “chinstrap” spine. The patterns on her wings consist of repeating eyespots. The rathalos has larger, more sickle-shaped “mandibles” above his jaws with distinct barbs. Rathalos tend to be slightly larger in size, with larger wings characterized by swirling flame-like patterns.

The rath ranges in length from 1653 cm to 1714 cm, although larger specimens have been recorded. An adult rath stands at 19 feet, with a wingspan of over 44 feet.

 **“Mandible”**

For decades the nature of these mandibular accessories eluded biologists. While they superficially resemble the eponymous structures in the extant clade of insects, they had no discernable function in prey-capture or mechanical digestion. They are, in fact, an ossified protrusion of the jaw. This feature, unique to the genus _Mandibulaformia_ —for which the raths are named, _mandibula_ “jaw” and _formia_ “like”—may provide an intimidation display against rival conspecifics, flaring and flexing these appendages during confrontations. On rathalos the appendages are enlarged, with a distinct sickle-shape and several barbs; sexual selection by rathians suggests that they prefer males with the largest, most barbed mandibles. The size, color, and shape of the mandibles are associated with genetic precondition, sexual maturity, and testosterone production in rathalos.

 **Flight**

The bones of raths are hollow (pneumatized) with criss-crossing trusses for structural strength. Respiratory air sacs often form air pockets within the semi-hollow bones of the rath’s skeleton (a feature seen in flying wyverns and other theropods as well). Its many-jointed wings allow for flexible movement, compared to the rigid structure and paddle board-flaps of avian wings which limit their range of motion. Raths can achieve greater lift on the down stroke, during which the air vortex—which generates much of the lift in flapping-wing flight—closely tracks the animals’ wingtips. In the upstroke, the vortex appears to come from the wrist joint. The articulation of the wings lends to the theory that rath flight, akin to the flight of chiropterans, is slightly more efficient than the flight of its avian relatives. Another specialized feature for flight is its posterior air sacs, which allow for unidirectional flow of air through its lungs via pressure changes. Its large keeled sternum creates a place of anchorage for the pectoralis, providing the all-important downstroke in powered flight.

At higher elevations the rath relies primarily on thermal soaring. Its preference for dry, warmer climates supports the idea that this predator takes advantage of hot updrafts to keep itself aloft, given the potential of being impeded by its own size and weight.

 **Fire-breathing**

Close examinations of dentition, and observations in the field on rath foraging, have shown an obligatory, partially omnivorous diet. Ingestion of cellulose is necessary in order to gain methane from microbial fermentation, the bacteria of which reside in the gut of the rath. The byproduct gas is then housed in a specialized bladder called a _flame sac_. The _conflagrant tube_ connects the contents of the flame sac to an opening above the pharynx. Modified venom glands at the front of the upper jaw produce a hypergolic chemical that, upon contact with the reservoirs of stored methane, ignite.

Fire-breathing is a homoplastic trait acquired independently and multiple times by various vertebrate species throughout the fossil record. It is an adaptation shared by members of the clade Viverna, in addition to other theropod groups, leviathans, and species found in the taxon Draconia.

BEHAVIOR

When not engaged in hunting, raths will devote nearly 12 hours per day to patrolling. They are routinely active in the morning and late evening, with afternoons devoted to sunbathing. Thermoregulation in ectotherms such as the rath is achieved by radiating their wings on open, exposed areas, typically high rock faces where they build their eyries. 

**Intraspecific interactions**

Raths are by nature independent and reclusive animals, whose behavior toward conspecifics of both sexes is modified according to circumstance. Outside of the breeding season, raths will challenge any intruders that they find inside the borders of their territory. Boundary indicators usually involve the rath scorching or charring visible rocky surfaces along the perimeter of its territory. On average, rath territories are 150 mi2. The culprits behind territorial confrontations are almost always nomadic adolescents that have not yet staked out areas of their own, and either accidentally stray within the border or are caught attempting to steal prey. Intruders are sometimes given the opportunity to flee if hunting hasn’t been instigated. The resident rath will engage in ritualized aggression, via vocalizations (roars, bellows, hisses), flapping and wing pattern exhibition, scoring the earth with its claws, or a unique display known as _fire gurgling_ , in which the rath will release just enough methane to cause small tendrils of fire to crackle and ooze out of its jaws. If the interloper is caught hunting, the resident rath will unleash a volley of fireballs from afar. If ranged attacks fail and the intruder doesn’t retreat, it will attempt to fly over its opponent and rake them with its talons, or envenom them with the spines on its tail. 

Raths reach sexual maturity at four years of age. During the breeding season, unpaired males will venture into the territories of rathians and engage in courtship displays to try and impress the female. If successful, the rathian will receive her new mate and form a monogamous pair that cohabits the same territory. 

Rathian and rathalos will often coordinate their hunts, the rathian attacking from the ground while the rathalos strikes from overhead. Social behavior between a mated pair includes snout rubbing and synchronous sunbathing. 

**Hunting and diet**

Raths prefer to hunt over scavenge, although they will readily feed on carrion should they stumble across it, deceased by either natural means (disease, age) or killed by another predator. Prey-theft is a common practice in opportunistic raths that are willing to raid from the kills of other predators, typically _vipracanids_ (colloquially known as “dog-wyverns,” consisting of the greats and the dromes). 

Raths generally subsist on ungulates including kelbi, erupe, burukku, mosswine, and bulldrome, ornithischians such as aptonoth, apceros, rhenoplos, and slagtoth, and theropods such as juvenile velocidrome, gendrome, iodrome, jaggi, and wroggi. Raths that inhabit coastal areas or rainforests with brackish rivers will rarely prey upon adolescent ludroths if the opportunity presents itself. Predatory attacks on humans, wyverians, and felynes are infrequent but not unheard of. The rath has a bite force of 1,400 PSI.

At least fifteen main hunting techniques are known to be utilized by the species, with many individual variations and the ability in most mature raths to readily vary back and forth between methods. Hunting strategies are largely influenced by the following factors: prey type, environment, the presence of a mate, and the presence of eggs/chicks. In regions with a high density of foliage (Schrade, Arcolis), raths minimize or altogether avoid using fire to kill their prey, possibly to avoid burning their source of starches and cellulose needed for microbial methanogenesis, or to reduce the risk of crown fires wiping out local prey species communities. In the Dede and Sekumaeya Deserts, and the Elde volcanic belts, however, raths have developed the technique of staking out undergrowth where animals have built dens, and then flushing them out by setting the brush on fire. In these more arid climates raths prefer eating xerophytic plants, and willingly set mesophytic plants ablaze if it benefits their hunt.

When hunting by itself, a rath will rely on stealth tactics such as sudden swoops or dives from directly overhead, usually on a tailwind; this method is commonly known as the “high soar with glide attack.” Another solitary hunting tactic is the “low flight with sustained grip attack,” in which a rath will attempt to pierce vital organs, or cause shock via a crushing grip to bone and cartilage. When hunting in pairs, the raths will risk taking larger prey or assaulting herds. In the latter case, raths will initiate the hunt by circling overhead to instill panic. In the midst of the pandemonium, it becomes easier to discern the juvenile, old, or weak members of the herd from above. From there the rathian lands and attempts to isolate the target, distracting it with lunges as the rathalos flies in from behind. In turns the pair will slash and bite at their quarry until it’s brought down; should the target prove too resilient for an immediate takedown, the rathalos and rathian will switch tactics and try to envenom it with the spines on their feet and tails. After envenomation, the raths will follow at a distance until their prey succumbs to a combination of the toxin and its wounds.

With smaller animals such as kelbi and juvenile vipracanids, raths will either land atop and proceed to asphyxiate their prey; or they will lodge their talons in the animal, fly a short distance with it, and drop them from a height. The drag-and-drop tactic is more commonly employed when a rath is hunting prey on cliffs and can easily pull the target over the edge with minimal exertion. 

When a mated pair is brooding or raising chicks, raths will hunt in turns, never leaving the nest unguarded and at risk from ovivores. Raths supplement their diet with roughage, eating the fruits and leaves of various herbaceous and woody angiosperms. Digestion takes on average six hours, allowing raths to make use of large quantities of meat in a relatively short amount of time.

 **Enemies and competitors**

Raths occupy the same ecological niche as other flying wyverns such as the seregios, espinas, berukyurosu, and gurenzeburu, and they compete for prey with pseudowyverns including the nargacuga and tigrex. Raths usually try to chase competitors out of their territory rather than let a potential rival of another species establish itself. Confrontations end when the intruder has been suitably injured and retreats. Conflict only goes so far as to intimidate or maim an opponent, with direct mortality virtually unheard of (although death via infected wounds isn’t uncommon). Some studies have found the reverse, with raths largely ignoring other flying wyverns occupying adjacent or similar areas, possibly due to factors such as prey abundance.

Raths typically ignore vipracanids unless the raths are on a kill or are being harassed by the vipracanids, while the latter tend to visibly react to the presence of raths whether there is food or not. Raths will actively prey upon immature vipracanids or attempt to steal kills from a pack. On the Moga Archipelago, the reverse is sometimes seen, with the alpha jaggi (or great jaggi) coordinating attacks in order to force a rath off its kill. Other times jaggis will patiently wait from a distance of 5–13 meters until the rath finishes and leaves, but they’re also bold enough to try and feed alongside the rath as well.

The deviljho, abiorugu, and seregios are some of the only sympatric species that pose a high risk to raths. While a pair of raths may be able to injure a deviljho from the air with ranged fire-breathing, on the ground they’re slower and not as agile, easily overwhelmed by the deviljho’s pin attacks and lunges. The much-swifter deviljho can overtake a rath on the ground before it can become airborne and exert enough force with its jaws to tear off its wings or crush its trachea. When a deviljho is sighted wandering into a rath’s territory, the rath will typically retreat to higher terrain where the deviljho has trouble traversing and wait for the danger to pass.

 **Attacks on hunters**

Humans and wyverians are not typically considered prey items by the common rath, although examination of defecated remains has revealed bones from human victims. Studies by Guild biologists corroborate with eyewitness accounts from hunters, showing that 85% of the time, when a rath successfully killed a hunter, it didn’t consume the body or take it back to its eyrie. The fact that most rath-hunter encounters are usually the result of provocation from the hunter (whether encroaching its territory, transporting eggs from its nest, or instigating it in combat) reaffirms the idea that raths aren’t motivated by predatory intent, and fatalities are a result of territorial dispute and protection of offspring. Centuries of hunting raths has resulted in local populations acclimating to the presence of wyverians and humans. Their learned-fear aversion drastically reduced the number of attacks in populated areas. 

Attacks on hunters are seen year-round with a peak in the breeding season, when increased hormone levels in the raths trigger heightened aggression responses. The victims are usually burned from long-range fire attacks before the rath moves in, either to envenom them with its spines or to pin them under its talons while repeatedly biting the face. The rath’s olfaction—while considerably weaker than its vision and audition—is still sensitive enough that having fecal matter thrown at its face will cause it to recoil, giving the hunter a chance to break free and escape. 

**Reproduction and life cycle**

Most raths reach sexually maturity at six years of age. In the spring months, the rathian goes into a period of heat. Rathalos will enter the territory of the rathian and perform various acrobatic dives outside the rathian’s eyrie, incorporating fire-breathing into the display as well. Rathians tend to select mates with the most vivid red scales and largest mandibular accessories. If the rathian takes interest in the courtship displays presented by her suitor, she will fly out to greet the rathalos. The final phase in the selection process at this point begins with the commencement of the prenuptial hunt. Together, the pair will stake out and kill prey within the rathian’s territory, typically an animal no bigger than an aptonoth or a mature jaggi. The hunt is theorized to be an assessment of not only the rathalos, but of the pair’s compatibility, and how coordinated their movements are. Cooperative hunting plays an important part in the lifestyle shift of the raths, a transition from independence to reliance on her mate to help kill larger prey. The successful outcome of these prenuptial hunt is the largest determinant in the rathian’s mate selection; hunts that end in failure have an 89% chance of the rathian chasing the rathalos out of her territory with excessive force until a more suitable candidate arrives. Four months following copulation, the rathian lays a clutch of 3 to 5 amniotic eggs covered with a calcareous shell. The incubation period lasts around 52 to 61 days. The rathian and rathalos will alternate incubation in shifts while the other hunts.

The chicks, when they hatch, are entirely dependent on their parents for the first year of their lives. The parent raths will typically bring back small animals such as kelbi, vipracanids (immature jaggi and velocidrome), and mosswine, and feed their offspring by presenting flesh held forward in their jaws. The young raths pick up and manipulate sticks, play tug of war with each other, practice holding things in their talons, and stretch and flap their wings. By twenty-two weeks, the chicks are strong enough to flap their wings, lift their feet off the ground, and rise up in the air. The offspring begin flying around twenty-seven weeks, and will begin learning to hunt by watching their parents. Juvenile raths disperse away from their parents at a year of age.

 **Communication**

Although predominantly reclusive animals, the raths exhibit a broad repertoire of social behavior amongst conspecifics. The most common peaceful tactile gestures between mates include brushing snouts together, entwining necks (necking), and mutual sunbathing. Snout rubbing—nuzzling one’s face against the forehead, face, and neck of another rath—is believed to be a form of greeting that evolved from reciprocal grooming, because raths cannot reach these areas individually. The fact that raths will engage in _fire-dousing_ , or lightly exhaling fire onto their mate to burn off ectoparasites embedded in their scales, supports its emergence through utility. Necking is often seen between mated raths after confrontation; following their disagreement, they caress and lean partially into each other. The evolutionary significance of this gesture is still being researched.

Raths’ repertoires of vocalizations are also large; variations in intensity and pitch, in addition to discrete signals, play a large part in intraspecific communication. Rath sounds include bellowing, roaring, screeching, hissing, and snorting. In non-aggressive interactions the rath may make a deep, throaty noise in the back of its throat akin to a scratchy growl.

HEALTH

 **Diseases and parasites**

Raths are subject to ectoparasites such as ticks and mites, which burrow into the less thickly-plated underbelly or the skin around the nostrils. Severe infestation may cause problems with shedding, blood loss, decreased appetite, lethargy, and even death. Adult forms of several species of the tapeworm genus _Taenia_ have been found within the intestines, the raths having ingested larval forms from aptonoth meat.

Raths are a major host for the feral wyvern virus in the Primal Forest, Ancestral Steppe, and Heaven’s Mount. In raths, the incubation period is approximately 4 to 7 days, and results in the rath becoming highly aggressive, deserting its territory, and travelling up to 174 mi a day, thus increasing the risk of transmitting the virus to other animals.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

In Schrade, Arcolis, and Goldora, raths can be found in temperate deciduous forests on craggy slopes or peaks, preferring areas with overhangs to shelter themselves from rain and wind. In the same regions where rainforest and marshes are present, raths will build nests in areas with dry soil and enough vegetation to shield them from the precipitation. Raths of the Dede and Sekumaeya Deserts prefer a mixture of dry savanna forest and very dry deciduous scrub forest, clinging to the outskirts of the dunes. In the North and South Elde regions, raths making their homes along the volcanic belt will roost on the lower slopes and hunt in the sparse forests below.


	2. Moga Lagiacrus

**Kingdom:** Animalia  
**Phylum:** Chordata  
**Clade:** Gnathostomata **  
Clade:** Tetrapoda **  
Clade:** Amniota **  
Clade:** Diapsida **  
Clade:** Sauropsida **  
Clade:** Sauria **  
Clade:** Archosauria **  
Clade:** Suchia  
**Clade:** Paracrocodylomorpha **  
Order:** Arcacollum  
**Family:** Armutonitridae  
**Genus:** _Heres_  
**Species:** _H. jormungandrii_

 **Binomial name:**

_Heres jormungandrii_

**Subspecies:**

Abyssal lagiacrus, _H. j. abyssale_   
Ivory lagiacrus, _H. j. eboreum_   
Moga lagiacrus, _H. j. jormungandrii_  


MOGA LAGIACRUS

INTRODUCTION                        


The **Moga lagiacrus** ( _Heres jormungandrii_ ) is a large, predatory, euryhaline reptile and the sole species in the family Armutonitridae. It is informally known by a plethora of names, the most common being **lord of the sea** , **lagia** , and **sea wyvern**. The lagiacrus is the largest of all marine, brackish, and riparian reptiles, reaching a weight of 19 tons and 24 meters in length. These ectotherms are extremely sensitive to cold and are found exclusively in tropical climates, dispersed throughout the South Elde seas and coastlines. On land, the lagiacrus is capable of short bursts of speed at a “belly walk” of 15 mph, coupled with quick, agile torsions of its elongated body; in water, the lagiacrus has been observed swimming at 32 mph, although when cruising it will reduce its speed to a lethargic 6 mph.

Originally, lagiacrus were estimated to live 50 years, based on measurements of lamellar growth rings in bones and teeth. It was later suggested that these measurements may be an inaccurate way of gauging age. Lamellar rings reflect changes in growth rates, which correlate directly with the timeframe of wet/dry season transitions. The inaccurate reliance on seasonal changes and the fact that the innermost rings degenerate with time suggest an underestimation of age. A revised longevity is upward of 70 years. 

The lagiacrus is a solitary hunter that frequents both demersal and pelagic habitats, patrolling the reefs and intertidal zones of coastlines. Lagiacrus are known to swim inland as well, and lurk within brackish mangrove swamps or freshwater jungles further upriver. Breeding takes place during the end of the dry season, in which the polygynous males mate with as many females as they can. They are apex predators, regularly killing and consuming any animal that wanders into their territory.

The seas of South Elde have been high-trafficked waters for thousands of years. Merchant ships passing blithely through the territories of lagiacrus were often sunken. Early Guild cartographers would depict horned leviathans mantled in lightning, with the oldest known examples of these maps dating back almost 3000 years. Indigenous peoples of the Moga Archipelago developed techniques for hunting and tracking lagiacrus thanks to centuries of cohabiting the same islands. One such technique involves chumming around the piers, conditioning local sharq populations to regularly visit the area. Sharqs are highly electroreceptive fish capable of perceiving the electric fields given off by lagiacrus. Upon detecting the lagiacrus, the sharqs flee, and thus act as an early warning system for the people of Moga. The lagiacrus is seen as a harbinger of earthquakes, maelstroms, and famine, with at least an eighth of all known shipwrecks attributed to it. Harbor and port towns such as Tanzia specialize in delicacies prepared from grilled and braised tails.

ETYMOLOGY

The lagiacrus’ name is believed to come from the Latin words _pelagicus_ “sea” and _crus_ “lower leg,” for which the Crurotarsi are named. _Pelagia_ is the female version of the Greek name Πελαγιος, which the Latin equivalent is derived from; it’s therefore thought that lagiacrus is a compound of (Pe)lagia \+ crus.

TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION

The lagiacrus’ closest evolutionary relatives are found at the order-level Arcacollum. This includes the families Ciniculuminfridae (genus _Osteovelum_ ), Pinnavestitidae (sp. _Lunaflora vulpina_ ), Flagrulinguidae (sp. _Stercusanctum currite_ ), Avecoronidae (genus _Harpaga_ ), and Asperacutidae (sp. _Machaera crystallina_ ). As members of the group Archosauria, lagiacrus are related to suchians such as the nibelsnarf and Jio-Terrado caimen. 

**Subspecies**

There are currently 2 accepted subspecies of the lagiacrus, distinguished by their scale coloration, locomotion, and bioelectric capabilities. 

The **ivory lagiacrus** ( _H. j. eboreum_ ) is a subspecies whose range includes the shallow estuaries of the Moga Archipelago and the fjords of the Flooded Forest. Unlike the cerulean color of its sea-prowling cousin, the scales are often a quartz or off-white hue interspersed with hints of blue. _H. j. eboreum_ demonstrates its better adaptations to terrestrial locomotion by being able to “high walk,” lifting its belly and most of its tail off the ground. The sequence of its limb movement mimics those seen in mammals: left fore, right hind, right fore, left hind. As such, _H. j. eboreum_ is capable of galloping. The driving factor behind its on-land lifestyle remains guesswork, although one trending theory is specialization as a result of resource partitioning. By being better adapted to hunting on land, _H. j. eboreum_ and _H. j. jormungandrii_ can exist in the same ecosystems without competing for limited resources (as defined by Gause’s law). 

The **abyssal lagiacrus** ( _H. j. abyssale_ ) was, until recently, thought to be extinct. Cave divers employed by the Guild happened upon one while on an expedition within Moga’s submerged ruins. Its body consists of lustrous black scales and light-producing photophores along the dorsal spines, hood spines, and the roof of its mouth. The webbing between its phalanges is thicker and covers a larger surface area than that of _H. j. jormungandrii_ and _H. j. eboreum_ , while the haemal arch is much more flared along the tail. Its bioluminescence and prominent morphological adaptations for swimming suggest a reduced or altogether non-terrestrial lifestyle. Low-light conditions have resulted in poor eyesight, and specimens of _H. j. abyssale_ have been found with parasitic _Ommatokoita elongata_ consuming the corneas in their eyes. This aphotic leviathan has better electroreception than _H. jormungandrii_ , and is thought to be partially or completely dependent upon it for hunting, instead of its reduced vision. The evolutionary significance of its scale color is still being questioned—its blue-black color would reflect the only wavelength capable of penetrating waters of those depths, and subsequently would make it _more_ visible to its prey (unlike red-colored organisms). Debate remains over whether or not _H. j. abyssale_ should be classified as a distinct species from _H. jormungandrii_.

CHARACTERISTICS

The lagiacrus is an elongated, stockily-built reptile, with a partial laterally-compressed tail and keratinized spines along the head and center of its back. The tapered snout consists of two parallel cheek spines and supraorbital spines. The two prominent horns on its skull and the majority of the back spines that consist of its _shellshocker_ are covered in an iron-rich hydroxyapatite tissue, which give the horns their glossy, coveted orange sheen. The upperside of its torso is comprised of large overlapping plate scales ranging from cerulean to cornflower, with a wheat or beige underbelly; the limbs, meanwhile, are largely consisted of blue scutes. This dichotomous color scheme—akin to that of certain _Carcharodon_ fish—is thought to make the lagiacrus cryptic, invisible to prey looking up at or down on it in the water. The _cephalovelos_ (from Greek _kephalé_ “head” and _vélos_ “arrow”), or fanned hood on its head, is ribbed with lateral spines and consists of electroreceptors on the ventral surface. The front feet have five webbed digits while the hind feet have four webbed toes. Both sexes have a cloaca, a single outlet housing the opening for the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts.

The eyes of _H. jormungandrii_ are highly specialized, with a nictitating membrane for seeing underwater, and a tapetum lucidum (detectable through the eyeshine) that allows them to increase light available to their photoreceptors. The highly-sensitive ears are adapted to hearing above surface and underwater. When submerged, the lagiacrus’ palatal valve at the back of the oral cavity closes, preventing water from flooding into the throat, esophagus, and trachea. This membranous flap allows them to open their mouths underwater without drowning.

 **Electrogenesis and electroreception**

The lagiacrus is unique in that it’s the only known electrogenic and electroreceptive reptile in the world. In electrogenic species, the sodium-potassium exchanger (embedded in the cell membrane) maintains a voltage imbalance between the inside of the cell and its surroundings. The exchanger (or pump) is said to be "electrogenic” because it removes three sodium ions for every two ions of potassium it allows in. The center of the lagiacrus’ back has the highest concentration of flat disk-shaped cells called electrocytes, with an uneven distribution throughout the rest of its body along the vertebral column. Lagiacrus have several thousand of these cells stacked, capable of a discharge over 900 V. Postsynaptically, electrocytes function akin to muscle cells. When discharging, the lagiacrus fires its pacemaker nuclei, and acetylcholine is subsequently released from electromotor neurons to the electrocytes, resulting in an electric organ discharge. The spines jutting from its shellshocker are believed to work like conduits for channeling/directing electric currents more accurately, although further research needs to be done to determine the validity of this claim.

On the ventral side of the lagiacrus’ cephalovelos are numerous electroreceptor cells. This network of mechasensory organs detects electric fields at a threshold of 25 nV/cm. It’s theorized that the lagiacrus uses these electroreceptor cells for locating prey buried under sand, and has been likened to the cephalofoil found in sphyrnids.

 **Locomotion**

When swimming, the lagiacrus’ muscular tail undulates in a waving s-shape, while the legs are splayed out to aid in twisting its body and rapidly turning. During bursts of speed, the lagiacrus will tuck its limbs against its flank to reduce drag. On land, _H. jormungandrii_ ’s locomotion is limited to a low belly walk. Only _H. j. eboreum_ is capable of a full body-lifting high walk, which—unlike the typical sprawling gait of quadrupedal reptiles—results in the legs being held almost vertically beneath the body. The foot can swivel during locomotion with a twisting movement at the ankle, due to the positioning of the astragalus and calcaneum. Lagiacrus have been seen breaching from the water at heights of over 3 meters.

 **Osmoregulation**

Lagiacrus, like many partially/fully marine reptiles, need to maintain the concentration of salt in body fluids at suitable levels. As its skin is impermeable to the movement of water and salt ions, it must regulate salt loss in marine environments through other means. Mesonephric kidneys are the organs of ionic and osmotic regulation and of nitrogen excretion, due to the cloaca and lingual salt glands. In saltwater, nitrogen is excreted as ammonium bicarbonate due to the osmolity of the plasma being higher in fresh water. In saltwater the reverse is true, with the osmosolity of the plasma lower than the surrounding hypertonic environment and nitrogenous waste thus being excreted in the form of insoluble uric acid. The urine is subject to water reabsorption by sodium pumping after temporary reflux to the distal colon. Lingual salt glands are lobed structures with many secretory tubules which radiate outward from the excretory canal at the center. Secretory tubules are lined with a single layer of epithelial cells. Active transport via sodium-potassium pumps on the basolateral membrane move salt from the blood into the gland, where it is excreted as a concentrated solution.

BEHAVIOR

Behavior of lagiacrus populations tends to shift according to the ecosystem, with socialization largely impacted by spacing and seasonal changes. Because lagiacrus can survive on 70 lb of meat over the course of three weeks, much less time and energy are devoted to hunting. Instead, lagiacrus are often seen sunning themselves on flat stretches of beach and rocky shores. 

**Intraspecific interactions**

Riparian lagiacrus tend to be smaller on average when compared to marine conspecifics. As a result, the territories of dominant males either overlap or are shared. These individuals tend to be more gregarious, and tolerate each other at times of feeding and basking. Aggression usually increases during the mating season, with the largest dominant males becoming defensive of basking spots, feeding areas, and nurseries. Lagiacrus are able to electrocommunicate to some extent by modulating the electrical waveform they generate. Possible uses of this ability include mate attraction and agonistic displays. 

Lagiacrus that frequent the coast are normally several feet longer than their inland counterparts and far more territorial toward conspecifics. Intruding males are often greeted to roaring bellows and crackling tendrils of electricity slowly discharged from the shellshocker. Warning signals from the dominant male are often enough to ward off encroaching rivals. In cases where the challenger persists, the dominant male will swim headlong to meet it with biting, clawing, and electrocution until one party is incapacitated by exhaustion or injury.

Males form harems within their territory with anywhere between 2 – 4 females. The male and females all partake in raising the offspring, even if the females are not biologically related to the young of a clutch. 

**Hunting and diet**

The lagiacrus is a nocturnal, carnivorous generalist that modifies its hunting strategies according to its habitat and target prey. Terrestrial prey is often seized by means of stalk-and-ambush tactics, in which the lagiacrus will lunge from the water’s edge and grab the unsuspecting prey, then crush it in its jaws or electrocute it. In tropical forests and mangrove swamps, terrestrial prey includes reptiles like slagtoth, wroggi, and aptonoth; on coastal shorelines, terrestrial prey includes jaggi, qurupeco, and small crustaceans such as hermitaurs. In the water, the lagiacrus can charge at its prey with high bursts of speed and kill via impact; it can grab its prey in its jaws and kill them by whiplash (as a result of shaking its head) or blood loss (via puncture wounds); or, it can electrocute them when in close range. Freshwater prey includes catfish, arapaima, otters, epioth, ludroth, snakes, and smaller caiman species; on reefs and shallow seas the lagiacrus hunts various species of sharq, molids, porpoises, seals, epioth, and ludroth.

Marine lagiacrus have been known to skim the bottom of the seafloor and use their cephalovelos to detect organisms buried in the sand, which they’ll then proceed to dig out with their claws. Skates and rays are part of their diet, amongst other benthic fish. 

Because lagiacrus are unable to chew, their prey must be torn and sliced into large enough pieces to swallow without choking. The teeth are non-uniform, and feature a mixture of serrated, shearing teeth (for tearing off flesh) and larger, angular teeth (for puncturing and holding prey). Once an animal has been securely fastened in its jaws, the lagiacrus will shake its head back and forth, whipping its neck about in order to rip off smaller chunks of meat. 

**Enemies and competitors**

Lagiacrus are usually the top predators in any food webs they occur in, and as such, have few competitors barring a select handful of amphibious species and conspecifics. Its range overlaps with that of the gobul in the Flooded Forest, where the two often vie for epioth. Direct confrontations are rare, as the two usually go to lengths to avoid engaging each other in combat. While the lagiacrus is capable of detecting the gobul beneath the silt, it has no easy means of killing or consuming it, due to the dermal spines that become erect when the gobul inflates (better known as the _acuomotor reflex_ ). Even when a lagiacrus is successful in killing a gobul with ranged electric shocks, it would still have to contend with the spines in order to reach the flesh underneath. Confrontations, when they do occur, usually result in the lagiacrus being the victor, albeit with moderate to severe puncture wounds. Despite sharing a common prey item, the gobul includes small amphibians and fish in its diet as well; the presence of other animals in the gobul’s diet is thought to marginally reduce competition.

Adult male ludroth pose minimal risk to lagiacrus as adults, for as the two species mature their diets diverge, with the ludroth incorporating more shoaling fish than the lagiacrus. Plesioth living in loosely-associated communities of 3 – 5 individuals can occasionally repel lagiacrus, though individuals are usually killed or fatally wounded in such encounters. Raths that hunt along bluffs have been known to try and raid epioth that are being chased by lagiacrus into coastal inlets. In addition to stealing trapped prey, the rath and lagiacrus will sometimes directly compete for nomadic herd animals that travel along coasts. 

It is unknown to what extent the caedeus and _H. j. abyssale_ compete, as the presence of the caedeus in Moga’s ruins hasn’t been determined to be residential or migratory. If the caedeus is pelagic, and travels to the shallower ruins to breed and rear offspring, then competition for prey would be restricted to certain times of the year.

 **Attacks on hunters**

Lagiacrus are opportunistic predators that are at their most dangerous both in water and at the water’s edge. Most attacks are the result of territorial defense or active predation. Lagiacrus are known for lingering below the water’s surface on the edge of banks and slopes, relying on their cryptic coloring to ambush prey (a notable example being qurupeco fishing in tidal zones). Once seized and dragged into the water, the victim has little chance at escape. At least 57% of all reported attacks are fatal through this method. At other times lagiacrus actively seek out prey while swimming in open water, and will either strike out and bite it or, if the target is out of ranges of its jaws, will electrocute it. Electrocution has a high rate of ventricular fibrillation, the leading cause of death, with drowning being the second highest attributed to electrocution as a result of the muscles being unable to actuate. 

Small canoes and fishing boats have been deliberately rammed and upended by lagiacrus; victims of these attacks were killed and consumed 61% of the time.

 **Reproduction and life cycle**

Dominant male lagiacrus try to attract females with elaborate courtship displays usually involving electrocommunication. Copulation typically occurs in the water and is akin to that seen in crocodilians. When a female is ready to mate, she arches to display her shellshocker while her head and tail submerge. The male winds around the female’s body in a somewhat forward-facing embrace and then grasps her with his hindlimbs, aligning his tail parallel to hers so their cloacas align and his penis can be inserted. Mating is a brief affair lasting no more than 10 minutes, during which time the pair continuously readjust their positioning as they’re suspended underwater. Within a month of mating, the female lagiacrus builds a nest, typically a mound. Occasionally, coastal lagiacrus will dig their nesting holes in underwater caves with accessible air pockets. 

The clutch can have up to 15 calcium carbonate eggs. The incubation period is three months. The temperature at which the eggs incubate determines the sex of the hatchlings. Constant nest temperatures above 32 °C (90 °F) produce males, while those below 31 °C (88 °F) produce females. 

The young may all hatch in a single night. Lagiacrus of both sexes invest large amounts of parental care into their offspring. The mother helps excavate hatchlings from the nest and carries them to water in her mouth while the father swims nearby on close guard. Newly hatched lagiacrus gather together and stay close to both parents and additional caregivers that consist of non-biological females in the father’s harem. Hatchlings tend to bask in a group during the day and disperse at nightfall to feed. The time it takes young lagiacrus to reach independence can vary. The young typically associate with their parents/family group for two and a half to three years before maturing and leaving.

 **Communication**

Socialization for lagiacrus begins before hatching, because the young will respond to and mimic external stimuli while still in their eggs. The young lagiacrus will tap against the shell, prompting its siblings to do the same. Upon hatching, the lagiacrus will grunt, yelp, and emit a shrill chirp to alert its parents.

The juveniles make a variety of noises as they disperse and congregate throughout the day. The nearby parents will issue bellows and roars to ward off predators, and softer, throatier rumbles to draw in offspring when food is near. Lagiacrus are especially vociferous, with noises consisting of hisses, bellows, roars, growls, and grunts, in addition to infrasonic signals generated by vibrations.

 **Intelligence**

The lagiacrus is remarkably intelligent, having demonstrated problem-solving, episodic-like memory, and recognition of scenarios it has encountered before. Lagiacrus that were engaged in hunting behavior would often approach ships and investigate by bumping against the wooden hull. Rather than do a test bite to further determine edibility, the lagiacrus would infer from the material—individual lagiacrus that had engaged ships before often showed that they remembered such encounters by altogether bypassing the tactile test of bumping the ship. It would either capsize the ship by ramming it, or try to sink it with its weight by fastening its claws into the starboard or port side. 

One account submitted by a Guild liaison in Moga told of an old ivory lagiacrus that was solely responsible for multiple attacks on the village’s naval fleet. Over a decade the lagiacrus had become adept at sinking ships, learning to methodically breach the hulls with its horns and wait for it to founder. Once the crew was in the water, the lagiacrus would then mass-electrocute them. The Moga village chief insisted that it had learned to utilize the conductivity of dissolved NaCl in sea water to increase the range and potency of its electrical attacks; at this time, there exists no substantiated evidence to support this claim. The lagiacrus in question was later killed by a Guild hunter dispatched to Moga to investigate the threat.

HEALTH

 **Diseases and parasites**

Lagiacrus are known to be hosts for epibionts such as the barnacle _Chelonibia electrica_ , an animal capable of resisting high voltages, thought to have coevolved with _H. jormungandrii_. The barnacles anchor themselves to the scales on the lagiacrus’ body, particularly on the hood structure. Studies done on captured lagiacrus have found barnacles embedded on scar tissue, suggesting that they exploit wounds on host lagiacrus.

Freshwater leeches have been found on lagiacrus as well, attached to the legs and underbelly of their host with suckers. Leeches are more often regarded as dermal nuisances, with little effect on the overall health of the lagiacrus.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

The marine populations of lagiacrus reside in the three seas of South Elde: Jyuwadore, Shikuse, and Moga. Their territories often encompass coral reefs in warm, shallow waters several miles from or near rocky shores and beaches. Estuaries surrounded by mangrove forest and tropical jungle usually serve as the transition zone for lagiacrus navigating toward freshwater rivers and fjords. Riparian zones inland of the Jio-Wandoreo Strait offer a wider selection of semi-aquatic and terrestrial prey, in addition to coverage from overhead foliage. Although extremely rare, lagiacrus have been found as far north as the subtropical Jio-Kureku Sea.


	3. Desert Barroth

**Kingdom:** Animalia  
**Phylum:** Chordata  
**Clade:** Gnathostomata **  
**Clade: Tetrapoda **  
**Clade: Amniota **  
**Clade: Diapsida **  
**Clade: Sauropsida **  
**Clade: Sauria **  
**Clade: Archosauria **  
**Clade: Ornithodira **  
**Clade: Dinosauria  
**Clade:** Saurischia  
**Clade:** Theropoda  
**Clade** : Praesidiosauria  
**Superfamily** : Petracephaloidea  
**Family** : Ferridae  
**Genus** : _Aratrum_  
**Species** : _A. limus_

 **Binomial name:**

_Aratrum limus_

DESERT BARROTH

INTRODUCTION

The **desert barroth** ( _Aratrum limus_ ) is one of two extant species found in the genus _Aratrum_. This bipedal entomophage measures at 14 meters in length, and weighs 7.3 metric tons. Like many theropods that inhabit the Sandy Plains, the barroth is specialized for living in a savanna-desert mosaic, demonstrated by its morphological adaptations for hunting arthropods, and by its heat-avoidance behavior. It is distinguished from other _praesidiosaurs_ by its prominent crown structure, which houses five redundant nasal passages. Currently, the desert barroth is labeled vulnerable in its conservation status. Its species is confined to a single region, and has become increasingly susceptible to human activities such as defaunation and anthropogenic desertification. In the last decade, efforts from the International Hunters’ Guild have mitigated population decline.

The average lifespan of the barroth is 29 to 34 years, with no distinction in longevity between the sexes. Individuals tend to inhabit areas with ephemeral wetlands and depressions flooded by seasonal rains. When foraging for food, barroths will venture more than five miles from their wallowing sites into the surrounding xeric scrubland and savanna. The barroth is a solitary animal with little tolerance for encroaching predators or conspecifics, charging intruders at speeds of 25 mi/h and flinging projectile mud to encumber them. Ecologically, the barroth is an important organism—as an allogenic engineer, it helps shape the landscape through soil nutrient recycling and foliage trampling. Subterranean insects (like the altaroth) constitute the bulk of its diet. The barroth is a cathemeral animal, although its activity spikes significantly at dusk and dawn when the oppressive temperature has cooled.

Historical interactions with the barroth were predominantly seen by aboriginal peoples of the Sandy Plains, and caravans passing through the area en route to Loc Lac. The bulk of these attacks were the result of people attempting to gather water or bathe near its wallowing site. Territoriality is the sole provocation for all barroth attacks, hence the moderately high fatality rates in human and lynian populations. The constant churning of silt, water, and detritus caused by the barroth’s movements helps enrich and disperse mud. Early peoples revered the barroth because of the versatility of this resource, with its applications ranging from adobe housing to fertilizer. Today, it is still widely regarded as a pillar of desert culture, and this reputation has helped endorse conservation efforts. Historians attribute the rise of the hunting horn as a weapon to the sandpipe, a traditional woodwind instrument fashioned from the barroth’s crown. 

ETYMOLOGY

The barroth’s name is thought to come from the Gaelic surname _barr_ meaning “height” or “hill,” and the Anglo-Saxon surname _roth_ (from German rot), “red.” The name is accredited to entomologist Dr. Brett Ratcliffe, who was unwittingly ambushed by it while studying bnahabra ( _Rufacutis criiativlisens_ ). In his field report he described the barroth as “[a] lurching red hill come to life…with mud cascading off its flanks like a walking landslide.”

TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION

The desert barroth’s closest living relative includes the only other species in the genus _Aratrum_ —the glacial barroth ( _A. glacies_ )—found throughout southern Akra. Geological evidence such as coal deposits suggests that Akra was once situated in a milder climate zone when it was part of the last supercontinent. Being closer to the equator, Akra was able to support a greater biodiversity of plant and animal species, including the ancestral barroth. The presence of fossils from _Monsanguis custos_ [†] (a phylogenetic relative of _A. limus_ and _A. glacies_ ) in Akra, Schrade, and Arcolis indicates that as the continents moved and diverged, pockets of these theropods became geographically isolated from one another. It’s thought that the glacial barroth evolved from an ancestor that was able to adapt to the onset of the last glaciation over 90,000 years ago. The precursors to the desert barroth were from the same lineage as _M. custos_ , and over time, as parts of Arcolis moved into the southern hemisphere and underwent desertification, _A. limus_ evolved to withstand desiccation. 

Other extant theropods to which the barroths are related include the families Volutansidae (the uragaans) and Malleucaudidae (the duramboros).

The desert barroth has no known subspecies.

CHARACTERISTICS

The barroth is one of the most iconic theropods alive, recognizable by its distinctive crown. The external sheath is comprised of an α-keratin layer, while the _aratrum_ (crown bone) has two major constituents: trabecular tissue and enlarged frontal sinuses. The remaining cranial bones are mostly pneumatized, making them more flexible and lightweight without compromising the strength or structural integrity of the skull. At the top of the crown are five separates nares that branch into the nasal cavity. Their location on the dorsal surface is thought to be an adaptation for oxygen intake while submerged. When charging through soil, fleshy valves will seal the nostrils shut and prevent debris from entering. A transparent nictitating membrane prevents mud and windblown sand from getting into their eyes. 

Barroths possess incredible monocular vision, giving them a 290° field of view, with less than 10 degrees being binocular. It’s speculated that the once forward-facing eyes of the barroth were relocated to the sides of the skull as a result of elongation and enlargement of the aratrum. Lateral placement of the eyes protects them from dirt particles, and allows the barroth to maintain eyesight while charging (greatly increasing its depth-cuing via motion parallax). Its dentition is heterodont, consisting of conical front teeth for grabbing prey, and blunt peg-shaped teeth for crushing chitin and pulping flesh. 

The torso is covered in overlapping tubercular scales, ranging in a pattern of mottled sepias and umbers. The less-plated underbelly is typically an ashen color, while the tarsal scutes are gray verging on black. Its wide, pentadactylous feet allow its weight to be distributed over a larger surface area, reducing the amount it sinks when striding across mud. The long, muscular tail contains up to forty-five vertebrae, and serves as a counterweight for the dense head. Unlike most theropods—whose forelimbs are vestigial and have limited functionality—the barroth’s arm joints have greater articulation. While the arm cannot swing in a complete circle, it can still retract, protract, adduct, abduct, and even extend to a limited degree. The flexibility of its forelimbs, while not as developed as a human’s, can still be used for digging. Its spade-shaped claws are well-suited for shoveling topsoil from termite mounds and ant hills.

 **Crown**

Geological surveys of the Southern Arcolis deserts have revealed a wealth of tropical plants in the fossil record. Preserved hydrophytes found within sedimentary rocks are concurrent with the remains of _A. limus_ , suggesting that the modern barroth descended from an ancestor that lived in or near swamps. The aratrum is thought to have first emerged as a way for the barroth to breathe while fully submerged. The nares have often been likened to the blowholes of cetaceans, though a more accurate analogue would be the dorsally-placed nostrils found on crocodilians. When barroths expire they release a visible cloud of air and mucus. The aratrum allowed the barroth to keep its head in the water and scan for prey without having to come up for air, an anatomical feature that complimented its nictitating membranes well (which were later repurposed from underwater visibility to sandstorm visibility). 

It was only when climate change resulted in increased aridity did the barroth begin to use its aratrum for scooping mud. Shrinking water would have confined fish to shallower pools, forcing the barroth to fling prey from the water in lieu of swimming and fishing them out. As the barroth switched from an omnivorous diet (with a fish preference) to an obligate insectivorous diet, the elongated crown was co-opted for digging out insects. The crown of _Aratrum_ spp. is an example of exaptation.

The trabecular nature of the aratrum is important since it governs how much energy is dissipated, how quickly, and in what manner it’s dissipated when charging. The elongated, slightly curving surface area of the trabecular bone in combination with the frontal sinus provides a much quicker energy dissipation pathway and protects the brain from the impact load. A higher percentage of impact energy is absorbed in the frontal sinus due to the elastic deformation of the soft tissue. The neck muscles absorb and dissipate the remaining energy produced in the charging event during stretching and contraction. Bone porosity is highest at the base of the crown. The redundancy of the multi-branched nasal passages doesn’t appear to have any effect on respiratory efficiency; rather, they seem to serve as backup nares. In the event a nasal channel is collapsed from impact trauma, the remaining nares can still facilitate oxygen intake and CO2 expulsion. Live and dead specimens varying in age were found to have on average two collapsed channels, suggesting minimal impediment to respiratory functions. 

**Dentition**

As is common in many insectivores, the conical teeth suited for catching and piercing exoskeletons were equally useful for catching fish. Insectivore dentition is an extension of piscivory, which given the ancient barroth’s aquatic habitat is a logical progression of its diet. The mouth of the barroth features straight conical teeth lacking serrations on the premaxilla and the front of the dentary, with the notable exception of four enlarged frontal pegs. These frontal peg-teeth on the dentary give the barroth the appearance of lower jaw dental overlap, or a comical underbite. The remaining teeth in the back of the mouth are variously sized and shaped morphs of the peg tooth, used for pulping and grinding prey.

BEHAVIOR

The felyne of the Sandy Plains have a saying: “If you want to know the forecast, ask a barroth!” This idiom hearkens back to long-time observations of barroth activity and its correlation with the weather. The intense aridity of the ecosystem often puts constraints on when barroths can hunt, and has driven their evolution toward a crepuscular lifestyle. This generalization, while not unfounded, fails to account for the influence of cloudage, precipitation, and wind speed. When optimal weather conditions (like overcast) cancel out the effects of the temperature, barroths will nearly triple their activity during the day, forsaking their watering holes in favor of hunting. Accurate weather predictions used to be made by observing the barroth’s diurnal movements.

Because of its sporadic behavior during the day and at twilight, publications have inconsistently referred to it as both “crepuscular” and “cathemeral.” 

**Wallowing and integumental coating**

In the distant past the ancestral barroth, while not a fully adept swimmer, was still able to wade and paddle through the water. The retention of its elongated forelimbs today, like those of spinosaurids, suggests a degree of aquatic maneuverability and locomotion. Wallowing is a byproduct of climate change, and alterations in thermoregulatory behavior of a formally water-dwelling organism. The intense heat would dehydrate the barroth and result in hyperthermia without an active means to combat the effects of temperature. Mud is an excellent natural sunscreen, capable of lowering the barroth’s body temperature by 4° C. Mud is also more efficient at cooling the barroth than unsullied water because the water in mud evaporates off of the barroth’s body more slowly.

 **Æstivation**

The environment _A. limus_ lives in is subjected to periodic droughts as a result of torrid ambient conditions. Barroths that live near ephemeral sources of water undergo aestivation. Metabolic depression of about 25% – 50% of normal metabolic rates is responsible for the torpor that induces aestivation. It’s an adaptive biological process for preemptive energy preservation in the face of impending environmental stress, instead of being a consequence of changes in temperature, osmotic, or ionic physiological aspects of internal environment. 

Prior to metabolic depression, the barroth will bury itself within the dried-out mud, clay, and sand of a riverbed or watering hole. The nares on the crown are left visible, while the rest of the body is encased in the hardening substrate. In this state the barroth can survive several months without water by subsisting on fat reserves and its most recently-consumed meal. The animal can exit its hypometabolic dormancy within ten minutes of being introduced to wetter conditions.

 **Hunting and diet**

Examinations of dentition and behavior have led to the foregone conclusion that the barroth evolved as an insectivore specialist. Many arthropods seldom leave behind sufficient carrion due to rapid decomposition. With scavenging not a viable means of food acquisition, the barroth is solely an active predator. Like the barroth, many arthropods congregate around watering holes during the day, and disperse in the early morning and evening to feed. The barroth’s need for proximity to water allows it to capitalize upon prey resources like the bnahabra, which skim the water’s surface and feed nearby. Altaroths ( _Clipeurostrum flavum_ ) represent 70% of its diet, with the remaining 30% divided amongst a handful of beetle species, vespoids ( _Felifacies volans_ ), odonatopterans, hornitaurs ( _Phallucephala glauca_ ), and other large arthropods. The barroth’s methodology for capturing and killing neopterons changes depending on what type of insect it’s pursuing. Its two main hunting styles can largely be divided between terrestrial and winged prey or, as one theropologist wrote, “altaroths and everything else.” Species with the capability of flight (hornitaurs, vespoids, bnahabras) are able to evade the barroth’s lunges and bites by taking to the air. To circumvent this problem, the barroth catches retreating prey from a distance by flinging mud from its body. The mud usually knocks prey out of the air from the force of the impact alone. Even if it manages to stay airborne, the dense, viscous slurry can quickly immobilize prey by weighing it down and adhering its wings.

The evolution of the altaroth has been heavily influenced by the barroth and its phylogenetic predecessors. Now a widely-dispersed and invasive species in some regions, before the altaroth was indigenous exclusively to the Sandy Plains. The modern descendant _C. f. arenarium_ developed morphological, chemical, and behavioral adaptations as a result of an evolutionary arms race between itself and its chief predator, the barroth. Over 39% of all altaroth colonies surveyed within the barroth’s range were shown to have commandeered fissures inside rock formations, rather than excavate mounds. This suggests that less than half the population invests more energy into searching for habitable crevices than constructing mounds. This deviation from tunneling possibly emerged as a way to prevent barroths from reaching the colony within the more resilient, less-collapsable rock. The altaroths that inhabit traditional formicaries, on the other hand, will often repurpose their satellite colonies as decoy mounds. The encircling decoy mounds form a protective barrier between intruders and the central parent colony. When barroths attempt to dig out one of the decoy mounds, a defense mechanism is triggered by one of the scouts in the form of a pheromone. Soldier-caste altaroths swarm from the decoy mound and spray a formic acid synthesized within their gaster. While the lateral placement of the barroth’s eyes helps protect it from head-on assaults, the barroth can easily be repelled if it gets surrounded and the acid makes contact with its eyes. If overwhelmed, the barroth will retreat in search of a different colony.

With enough exertion and force, a barroth can plow through the altaroths and reach the mound. Once enough of the swarm has been thinned out, the barroth will crush them beneath its feet and snap them in its jaws. At this point the altaroth’s third failsafe comes into play, a vertical, chitinous extension of the pronotum at the back of its head. Myrmecologists generally agree that this structure (known as the _scutum_ ) acts as an esophageal blockage, and at certain angles makes it difficult for the barroth to close its jaws around its prey, or swallow it without obstructing its airways. As a result, the barroth exhibits preferential selection in its targets, choosing pleregates with the smallest scut to reduce the risk. The amount of time a barroth wastes choosing a target is proportionate to the altaroths’ level of success in repelling the barroth.

Immunohistochemistry of _A. limus_ tissue segments detected chitinolytic activity in the gastrointestinal tract. Western blot analysis (through electrophoresis gelling) confirmed the presence of chitinase in the stomach, leading to the conclusion that the barroth evolved an enzymatic adaptation for the breakdown of chitin. 

**Enemies and competitors**

_A. limus_ is an interesting animal of study amongst ethologists. Unlike many species, which engage in the full spectrum of agonistic behavior—threats, displays, retreats, and submission—the barroth almost exclusively demonstrates aggressive behavior. The triggers for attacks during interspecific interactions are usually filed under two different headings: predatory aggression (food procurement) and territorial aggression (intruder repelling). A staggering 88% of all aggressive intraspecific interactions, including physical fighting, take place within the same 5 m 2 around the barroth’s wallowing site. Multiple studies have found that barroths actively discriminate in which species are allowed to enter its territory, with a disproportionately high bias favoring herbivores. Aptonoth, rhenoplos, and various ungulates have repeatedly been found approaching the body of water within clear sight of the barroth without eliciting an attack. It’s thought that the barroth wards off carnivorous animals because it encourages herbivores to preferentially select its wallowing site over other available bodies of water. Herbivore congregation correlates positively with arthropod abundance in the same square area. Species such as the bnahabra and hornetaur are anautogenous (blood ingestion required for breeding), and will feed year-round on aptonoth and kelbi as part of their reproduction. Other arthropods are coprophagic (fecal eaters) and subsist on the semi-digested waste passed by herbivores. By creating “safe havens” for herbivores and tolerating their presence, the barroth can indirectly attract arthropods for daytime hunting. 

The barroth has few natural predators, partly because of its sheer size, and partly because of its outstanding aggression. Intruding jaggis (juvenile and mature) that venture too close are charged and flung into the air. The high-velocity impact at 11 m/s results in the death of the jaggi 90% of the time. Raths seldom provoke barroths, and the majority of most confrontations that do occur end with the rath retreating before it can be injured. Qurupeco are likewise quick to retreat into the air when charged. The two species most likely to engage the barroth are the tigrex ( _Abinferno rex_ ) and the deviljho ( _Daemon vorax_ ). Both species pose a high risk—the tigrex, while not as fast, has greater flexibility and dexterity, able to latch onto prey with its thumb and modified second and third fingers, while administering powerful bites. Although active predation on barroths isn’t common, instances where tigrex successfully killed and ate barroths have been documented. Deviljhos commonly employ one or two bites rather than try to pin the barroth, leading to exsanguination. The barroth’s best defense is retreating into deep enough water where the deviljho can’t pursue. 

The volvidon is the only sympatric insectivore that shares prey species with the barroth. As a result of dietary and territorial overlap, the two reduce competition by hunting at different times of day and night. The volvidon is predominantly nocturnal, as evidenced by its light-excluding slit pupils.

 **Attacks on hunters**

All written accounts of barroth attacks have shown that the barroth will seldom ignore a person once they’ve been detected. Hunting parties and expedition teams as large as twenty have been charged when too close. At a high-energy impact of 384,175 J, the initial ram and fling (when done at maximum speeds of 11 m/s) cause almost instantaneous death. Those not killed by the vaulting action and follow-up collision with the ground are usually paralyzed. In other cases people have been trampled to death, with bones and entire limbs crushed beyond medical aid. Incredibly, surviving the barroth’s charge is possible—a Guild expedition leader from Loc Lac discovered that the closer a person is to the barroth when hit by the charge, the less build-up time the barroth has to reach full speed and consequentially do the most physical damage. Barroths have also been known to ram caravans passing through the desert, knocking over the wagons and those trapped inside. The only known instances of predatory aggression around people were triggered by the presence of domesticated kinsects utilized by insect glaive wielders. In all seven cases, the barroth actively hunted the kinsect and then proceeded to eat it.

 **Reproduction and life cycle**

Almost nothing is known about the barroth’s reproduction, let alone any of its intraspecific interactions. Its high levels of aggression and territoriality have made it nearly impossible to observe it for prolonged periods of time. That—in combination with the unhospitable landscape and the deadly temperature fluxes—limits research opportunities to very specific times of day. When exactly a barroth reaches sexual maturity is up for debate, though some estimates place it at 15 years. Birthing and mating have never been observed, although pregnant females have been examined. Barroths are ovoviviparous (specifically lecithotrophic yolk-sac viviparity) and are born live, with no placental connection to the mother. The explanation for ovoviviparous birth isn’t entirely clear, though the predominant theory is that internal development of the eggs protects the embryos from the extreme heat and cold of the desert’s day-night cycle, and against ovivorous predators. 

ECOLOGICAL IMPACT

The presence of _A. limus_ is necessary for the heterogeneity of the Sandy Plain’s geological and biological characteristics. As an allogenic engineer, the barroth has a disproportionately large effect on the ecosystem by modifying its habitat, modulating the availability of resources to other species, and forming indirect symbioses with herbivores present at its wallow. In brief, the impacts this species has on its surroundings can be listed as widespread vegetation changes; alteration of fire regimes; effects on food supply and population dynamics of other animals; and changes in soil formation, riparian zones, and biogeochemical cycling.

The bodies of water that a barroth inhabits form the major riparian zones within its ecosystem. The constant trampling of nearby trees and shrubs frees forbs and graminoids from the stress of competition, allowing them to become the dominant foliage in savannas. These plants create ideal grazing conditions for ruminants and other herbivores. Kelbi, aptonoth, and rhenoplos attract arthropods, while other insects are drawn by the presence of herbaceous angiosperms. Pollination vectors like vespoids and altaroths are attracted by the vegetation, and accomplish fertilization of the female flower’s gametes by transferring pollen grains from the anthers. The interconnectedness of these biotic and abiotic components as a result of the barroth is a textbook example of keystone species dynamics.

The O horizon layer of the soil in a barroth’s territory can be on average 1 — 3 meters. Baroths cycle nutrients by depositing mud with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). The wide radius a barroth covers ensures plant richness from mud dispersal. The reduction in woody plants in a barroth’s territory alters fire regimes, as the two act in concert with synergistic effects. Increased savanna coverage increases the rate of fires, but inhibits the takeover of fire-tolerant trees and shrubs (such as species with fire-induced germination). The removal of the barroth’s presence would result in the cessation of the savanna, and the domination of successional shrubs and trees. 

HEALTH

 **Diseases and parasites**

The gram-positive bacteria _Bacillus anthracus_ can cause anthrax outbreaks in the barroth population during the dry season. In the vegetative bacterium form, the immune system actively targets and fights against the presence of _B. anthracus_ when present in the host’s body. During the dry season, the bacteria enter a “mummified” state of dormancy as glycoprotein-coated endospores that can allow them to persist in the soil for years until rehydrated. Spores inhaled by the barroth, or that come into contact with open wounds, are ingested by T-cells, causing the outer coating to dissolve and the bacteria to germinate. Cutaneous anthrax is the least lethal form, creating an ulcer-crater with a black crust formation called an eschar. Inhalation anthrax poses high mortality, with lymph node necrosis occurring as a result of toxin build-up from the spores, resulting in shock, coma, and death. Hunters are advised to not kill barroth during the dry season, in order to mitigate the risk of spore contact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First order of business. For those of you that prefer reading on Tumblr, this fic has been uploaded there. My account is silvokrent, and everything is tagged as “monster hunter,” “monster hunter fic,” and “monster hunter thought dump.” It’s on FF as well, on my account Wisecrack idiots. 
> 
> Secondly. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, most of the monsters that I’ve covered are from MH3/MH3U. I’ll blame that partly on bias, seeing as they’re the only two games in the series I’ve played and thus those monsters are the ones I’m most familiar with. However! I’d hate to enable myself, so I’d like to ask you guys which monsters you’d like to see next. I’m opening up suggestions for future chapters so I don’t focus exclusively on 3rd Gen. Smalls monsters (anteka, remobra, halks, et cetera) are fair game, as are humanoid species like wyverians, felynes, and shakalaka, so ask away! The only monsters I won’t cover (yet) are elder dragons and some of the more _outlandish_ Frontier monsters, like the gougarfs, varusaburosu, and akuras. The former I’m saving for special occasions, like milestones for the fic. The latter…well. The Frontier design team is really pushing what passes for believable these days. This isn’t to say that all Frontier monsters are off-limits; just that a specific handful of them won’t be covered for some time. Ask and I’ll let you know which ones I’d be willing to do.


	4. Mountain Barioth

**Kingdom:** Animalia  
**Phylum:** Chordata  
**Clade:** Gnathostomata **  
Clade:** Tetrapoda **  
Clade:** Amniota **  
Clade:** Diapsida **  
Clade:** Sauropsida **  
Clade:** Sauria **  
Clade:** Archosauria **  
Clade:** Ornithodira **  
Clade:** Dinosauria  
**Clade:** Saurischia  
**Clade:** Theropoda  
**Clade:** Paradraconia **  
Superfamily:** Capillaturoidea **  
Family:** Capillaturidae **  
Tribe:** Anemopodini **  
Genus:** _Electodon_ **  
Species:** _E. montanus_

**Binomial name:**

_Electodon montanus_

MOUNTAIN BARIOTH

INTRODUCTION

The **mountain barioth** ( _Electodon montanus_ ) is a saber-toothed, ailuromorphic pseudowyvern. It has a discontinuous distribution throughout the Arctic Ridge in the Polar Sea, and the subarctic tundra of the Northern Hemisphere. The barioth is less commonly known as the **ice tusk wyvern** or the **white death** , named after historic accounts of it preying upon travelers and then suddenly vanishing within the snowfall. It is one of two extant species belonging to the genus _Electodon_ , and is the heaviest species in the clade Paradraconia at 9.6 metric tons, while measuring 18.2 meters in length. Its weight is attributed to decreased bone porosity, a trait that was selected for cursorial and saltatorial locomotion atop ice and snow. At present, the number of breeding barioths is stable; however, a fear of population decline as a result of climate change has warranted its placement on the CDIHG Red List.

The average lifespan of the barioth is thirty years. Sexual maturity is reached around the age of five, which corresponds with the completed ontogeny of the adult maxillary canine teeth. Isotope analysis of the tooth enamel revealed that their diet is largely comprised of seals and pokara ( _Pseudopinna unguiculata_ ). While the calorie-rich blubber is an indispensable part of its survival, barioths have a flexible diet, and are known to routinely hunt popo ( _Rhinamblys ulos_ ), anteka ( _Toxon furcatum_ ), bullfango ( _Ossispina taurus_ ), and assorted fish species. The sabers—for which the genus is named, _ḗlektron_ “amber” and _odoús_ “tooth”—are used for delivering fatal blows to prey. The barioth’s other noteworthy adaptations include its dermal spikes for traction on ice, and its modified foregut for spraying stomach oil.

Many legends of the barioth abound in the folklore and culture of circumpolar peoples. The sudden onset of blizzards was said to be the barioth’s doing, a result of the glacial magic it commanded. Travelers would wear cloaks made from the barioth’s skin, and carried charms carved from the sabers. It was believed that they made the wearer impervious to frostbite, hypothermia, and spells. Another myth purported that a barioth recognized the huntsmanship of those adorned in its pelt, and would grant them safe passage for having bested its kin. The belief that they could use ice magic may have influenced early scientific theories of the barioth being able to synthesize cryogenic fluids, which were later disproven. The spikes that adorn its torso and wings likely inspired the design for the modern ice pick. There is a high demand for clothing and jewelry made from its body parts, which are considered luxury items. 

ETYMOLOGY

While the etymology is still largely conjecture, linguists have drawn connections to the Greek word βαρύς ( _barús_ ) “heavy,” due to the barioth being the largest pseudowyvern in terms of mass. It’s possible that the suffix -ioth was added to preserve the nomenclatural pattern already established in the common names of other species, like the ep _ioth_ , ples _ioth_ , and lavas _ioth_.

TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION

The pseudowyvern superfamily Capillaturoidea is thought to have split off from other paradraconians about 50 million years ago. Evidence of the first saber-toothed _ailuromorph_ was discovered nine years ago in caves in the Shilton Hills; since then, more than thirty-nine specimens have been dug up as far east as Goldora. Carbon dating places these remains at 18 million years old, with the oldest representatives being _Anemopoda agrestis_ [†], _Anemopoda ensatus_ [†], and _Venatavus velox_ [†]. These species are thought to have originated from steppes, and only dispersed after being outcompeted by other predatory megafauna. Displacement forced populations to transition into new ecosystems, where they encountered and successfully hunted new prey species. 

Unlike its cousin the mountain barioth, the sand barioth ( _Electodon xeros_ ) is considerably smaller and less stocky, a morphology resulted from an ecogeographical principle known as Bergmann’s rule. It lacks true spines, and its integument boasts sleek and less densely-packed feathers to lessen the amount of trapped heat. It addition, the skin has a higher ratio of ceramides to free fatty acids in the stratum corneum, which reduces overall cutaneous water loss. Paler coloration is a result of pigments that produce oranges and browns for camouflage. While the bones of _E. montanus_ are heavier and its wings are all but vestigial, _E. xeros_ retains its pneumatization and broader wings, to take advantage of hot updrafts for easy lift.

Its closest relatives include the hyujikiki ( _Aculupa saxea_ ), mi ru ( _Capillatura negra_ ), dyuragua ( _Capillatura vulpina_ ), and representatives of the family Xyrafipteridae (the nargacugas). _E. montanus_ has no known subspecies.

CHARACTERISTICS

The torso is stouter and more robust compared to most pseudowyverns. Because surface area increases as a function of two and volume by three, the barioth decreases heat loss by occupying more space relative to its overall surface area. Thus, the reduction of body extremities (the short snout, small ears, and stocky limbs) lessens heat dissipation, in accordance with Allen’s rule. The integument features an alternation of scales, feathers, and naked membrane. White granular scales cover most of the skull, jugular region, and shoulders, while the area along the spine consists of a “shell” composed of tubercular plates. Dense white plumage covers the flanks, underbelly, thighs, and forearms, providing a layer of insulation against subzero temperatures. Only on the hindlimbs are scutes present on the foot. A white patagium stretches between the fourth and fifth metacarpals, attached to the torso above the hip.

During inclement weather and white-out conditions, the barioth relies on its excellent olfaction for tracking prey. Within its nasal cavity are scroll-like bony plates analogous to the mammalian convoluted turbinate bones, functionally identical in how they warm and moisten inhaled air to protect the lungs. Its eyes are shielded by a nictitating membrane for protection against wind, snow, and ultraviolet keratitis. Its footpads are warm to the touch, due to the higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than other body areas. On the inner forearm are modified spurs with hollow ducts connected to the _elaiopteral gland_. The oily secretion is used for waterproofing, pheromone production, and maintenance of feather integrity.

The barioth’s most distinguished adaptations are its alpenstocks, sabers, and frost sac. The _alpenstocks_ (epidermal spikes) protrude from the fourth metacarpal on the forelimbs, the lateral surface of its tail, and the skin over the femur-tibia joint. These α-keratin spines—in conjunction with the soft papillae (dermal bumps) on the footpads—provide the barioth with maneuverability atop the icy substrate. Its amber-colored sabers bear fine serrations on the front and back surfaces. Decreased bite force is thought to have correlated with the evolution of its maxillary canines, and that jaw strength was a trade-off for precision killing. The _frost sac_ is a modified proventriculus that stores a stomach oil made up of neutral dietary lipids, obtained from the fish and seals it eats. When agitated, the barioth regurgitates the contents of its frost sac and sprays them from the mouth. Due to its low viscosity, the fluid rapidly solidifies and freezes upon contact with cold air, inducing the onset of frostbite and hypothermia in those doused by it. It’s thought that this particular usage of the barioth proventriculus is what gave rise to the myths of them spitting ice.

**Sabers**

The maxillary canines of _E. montanus_ at maturity can measure 2.4 in (~0.73 m). The pigmented enamel consists of layers of well-ordered hydroxylapatite “nanowires” at the core, reinforced by amorphous biominerals rich in iron and magnesium. The enlarged mastoid process (an area of muscle attachment at the base of the skull) gives the barioth the ability to deliver deep puncture wounds. As a compensation for bite force, it uses its powerful neck muscles to thrust the head down and drive its sabers into its prey.

**Alpenstocks**

Microscopic analysis determined that the alpenstocks consist of multiple columns of tightly-packed corneocytes, originating from elongated dermal papillae covered by onychokeratinizing epithelium, atop a bed of connective tissue. The different orientations of keratinocytes within the spines’ structure provide them with a multidirectional yet flexible strength, without making them brittle. The expansive tactile-like neural corpuscles in the subspine connective tissue acts as specialized mechanoreceptors, capable of perceiving touch and pressure. The sensory function of the alpenstocks helps to prevent the barioth from exerting excessive pressure on them when moving. An additional function of the alpenstocks is the pinning down of prey by digging the sharp spines into its body to immobilize it.

**“Cryogenesis”**

Unlike the stomach oil of procellariiformes, the barioth’s digestive residue has comparably decreased function as a dietary supplement. Although it has a high calorific value, the barioth uses it primarily as a defense mechanism. The pungent oil is derived from prey items such as fish, seals, and other marine organisms. Major compounds found within it include wax esters, triglycerides, glycerol ethers, prsistane, and squalene. Provoking the barioth carries the risk of being sprayed in the liquid, which is not only foul-smelling but is difficult to remove immediately after application. Due to its hydrophobic nature, water and snow do little to help the afflicted hunter rid themselves of the oil before it rapidly cools as a result of exposure. Travelers passing through areas with known barioth sightings are urged to carry easy-to-apply emulsifiers on them, in the event of attack. The likelihood of being sprayed from a projectile attack is 76% greater than being mauled. There is less overall energy cost in using its frost sac when provoked, as opposed to physically charging at intruders.

**Locomotion**

A common characteristic seen among ailuromorphic pseudowyverns is the ratio in size between fore- and hindlimbs. Nearly all species have either legs that are equally proportioned, or hindlimbs that are slightly larger in order to pounce and leap. Uniquely, members of the genus _Electodon_ have disproportionately larger and more muscular forelimbs. When barioths run, they pull their bodies forward with their longer and more developed front legs. The short, stocky claws are scooped on the underside for digging and getting a grip on hardened soil and snow, and allow the barioth to propel its body forward across the terrain. The barioth gains momentum with each subsequent pulling of its forelimbs until it reaches a full sprint.

The wings are incapable of sustained, powered flight. _E. montanus_ uses the vestigial membranes for controlled descents when gliding from higher to lower areas, and for extended duration/distance of its jumps.

BEHAVIOR

Barioths are a sedentary (non-migratory) species. These diurnal pseudowyverns are generally solitary animals, although there have been documented accounts of siblings hunting together as subadults. Individuals occupying the same range are sometimes said to have “friendly and peaceful relationships” with each other. Although consistently labeled aggressive and territorial, the barioth is largely non-confrontational. Unless it is provoked, the barioth will try to ward off intruders using agonistic threat displays, such as teeth-baring and tail-lashing. This is especially true during the spring and summer months, when they have less energy to expend due to decreased hunting opportunities. 

**Intraspecific interactions**

Aggression toward conspecifics arises as a result of disputes over mates and food. When prey resources are abundant—especially during the winter—barioths have been known to peacefully feed together at large kill sites, and even mutually groom each other after eating. As cubs, barioths are inherently playful, and retain these qualities into adulthood. Mature barioths that have been sated with food can sometimes be seen tussling about in the snow or basking side-by-side. The spring and summer months, meanwhile, correlate with heightened aggression. Because most barioths are forced to fast in warmer weather, they become more competitive over food. Adult male barioths will kill and consume cubs as an alternative to other food resources, should the cub stray from its mother’s side.

**Hunting and diet**

The barioth is an ambush predator, and as such relies upon camouflage to avoid detection. One hunting technique involves actively stalking prey on the ground while remaining downwind. If the target doesn’t notice the barioth, it will creep to within 12 m (36 ft) before breaking into a full sprint. Another tactic is to remain motionless until an animal (usually an anteka) wanders within striking range. Barioths also employ a tactic known as _cliff-diving_ : the barioth will take perch atop a snowy ledge, typically in an area where prey frequently traffics. When an animal passes beneath its ledge, the barioth will plunge below. The full impact alone is enough to immediately kill smaller prey, and stun larger ones such as popo. Of all the paradraconians, the barioth has the widest gape (jaw extension) at 110°, compared to the poborubarumu at 70°. Because the maxillary canines are fragile and are unable to bite into bone, the barioth must first restrain its prey before it can deliver a puncture to the jugular vein and/or trachea. The large gape allows the barioth to grasp prey without its long sabers getting in the way.

As adolescents and subadults, barioths tend to favor hunting terrestrial prey for their protein-rich red meat. Its diet includes mammals such as anteka, bullfango, juvenile lagombi ( _Gastrosclodia longauriata_ ), popo, blango ( _Kangmi bivious_ ), hares, foxes, and on rare occasions, gammoths ( _Calvaria villosa_ ). Blangos are seldom hunted when aggregated, in the event that the mature troop leader (the blangonga) is within the vicinity and can be alerted by the howls of its subordinates. Much the same can be said for the popo and gammoth, which tend to travel in intermixed herds. Successfully taking down one involves ambushing the herd and isolating any individuals that are infirm, injured, or young. Defecated remains of baggis and giaprey have been found, in addition to carcasses with stab wounds from the barioth’s canines. The highly-digestible blubber from seals and pokara is a preferred food source of mature barioths that hunt near shorelines. Barioths will also scoop teleosts from the water, including speartuna and whetfish.    


The cold months of fall and winter provide snowfall and ample opportunities for the barioth to hunt. Because of its large size, the barioth can gorge (a process called hyperphagia) when food is plentiful, in preparation for scarcity and disadvantageous hunting conditions. Its substantial fat reserves function in energy storage and insulation. A barioth may be required to fast for up to five months. Many barioths circumvent this problem by caching surplus prey during the winter. This is especially true for females that have just mated and are about to lay eggs.

**Enemies and competitors**

Few species pose a direct threat to the barioth. There are several predators that will readily kill—and even feed upon—barioths when encountered. The species that the barioth is most likely to interact with are the glacial agnaktor ( _Osteovelum glaciale_ ), blangonga, and lagombi. The former is most frequently encountered during confrontations over food, usually when they’re both hunting the same target. The agnaktor, while not as physically strong, is difficult to wound due to the dense scales covering its body. Although an agnaktor will not actively hunt a barioth, it can still grievously injure it. Given the chance, a barioth will sooner abandon its kill and retreat than risk injury. The blangonga is another saber-toothed animal whose maxillary canines warrant caution, given that with its higher dexterity, a blangonga could feasibly reach around the barioth and get close enough to pierce its throat. If a blangonga is a loner or has a smaller troop, the barioth will be more likely to attack it. Lagombis avoid barioths, and any fights that occur predominantly end with the lagombi fatally wounded.

During the spring and summer, striped tigrexes and stygian zinogres ( _Hoplycan stygius_ ) migrate further north to take advantage of prey abundance. Barioths face little competition with either species due to its reliance on fasting. While adult barioths may go to lengths to avoid tigrexes and zinogres, they can still pose a risk to cubs and juvenile barioths. Both species have been known to openly kill and consume young barioths during the warmer months.

Gigginoxes are of little concern to the barioth. The only time these species cross paths is when a female barioth accidentally selects a cave already inhabited by a gigginox. Even the presence of giggis and egg residue is enough to deter barioths from venturing close. The flesh of the whelps is highly toxic, and has been known to kill barioth cubs that haven’t learned to stay away   


**Attacks on hunters**

Barioths do not inhabit any one single area, and as such, aren’t territorial creatures. Being cautious animals, barioths will usually give approaching humans ample warning to leave, sometimes even retreating themselves. However, the low density and distribution of humanoid populations means that interactions between people and barioths have been historically infrequent and scattered. As such, they have no learned fear-aversion of people as a whole, meaning that a hungry barioth would just as likely select a hunter or traveler as a prey item. Out of all recorded attacks on travelers, the victim was unaware of the barioth 92% of the time, indicating that the barioth had been actively stalking them at a distance. Predatory attacks on non-hunters (people that weren’t deliberately seeking them out) have a 77% mortality rate. 

**Reproduction and life cycle**

Barioths have a polygynous mating system. Breeding commences in the beginning of spring, and is triggered by light exposure through the pineal gland. The increasing photoperiod, triggered by seasonal changes, regulates when the barioth is fertile. Prior to snowmelt, barioths congregate in areas where prey is abundant. During estrus, the elaiopteral gland becomes involved in the secretion of lipids with female pheromone activity. Males will compete in fights with other males to secure mating rights. Confrontations are kept brief and as non-contact as possible, to reduce the risk of the sabers breaking. Once a clear victor has been determined, he will copulate with the female for as long as twelve days until ovulation is induced.

After the mating ritual has been completed the barioths part ways, leaving the female as the sole caregiver of the offspring. She will take up residency in any sheltered area that provides cover from exposure, such as a cave or an overhang. A clutch of 2 to 4 large, cream-colored eggs are laid a week after mating, with thick shells and small pits on the surface. Incubation takes place over the course of two months—during that time, the female will not leave her eggs. As a result of gorging during the fall and winter, the female will have enough fat reserves to live off of, and can afford to stand constant vigil over her nest.

When the cubs hatch, they are vulnerable and entirely dependent. The mother begins to risk excursions outside the cave to hunt for whatever prey she can. The white plumage is a detriment during the summer because of its increased visibility to prey, making hunting for her cubs difficult. After two weeks of being brought smaller prey items (foxes, lemmings), the cubs begin to accompany their mother on hunts. Juvenile barioths play-fight and mimic their mother’s hunting behavior in preparation for their adult lives. The brevity of the spring and summer seasons means that the barioth cubs will not starve before the snow returns and the mother’s fat reserves deplete. The temporary den is abandoned at the end of the summer. For the next four years, the barioth cubs will accompany their mother on foot across the tundra, learning necessary skills such as grooming. The value of a barioth’s feathery “pelt” is reduced when wet by 90%. Grooming is imperative for their survival. The plumage’s ability to shed water and regain its insulative value when dry is important. When barioths become wet, they meticulously dry themselves by shaking and rolling in snow to remove water; air is thusly trapped in their plumage that prevents water from penetrating their skin. 

Barioth mothers are incredibly nurturing and altruistic parents, even to cubs that aren’t theirs. Genetic testing confirmed that female barioths will adopt orphaned cubs.

HEALTH

**Diseases and parasites**

There have been no documented cases of barioths with the feral wyvern virus, despite their frequent interaction with species that are known to transmit it. Individuals with bacterial leptospirosis and _Morbillivirus_ have been recorded.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

The harsh, cold terrain of the arctic and subarctic ecosystems presents the barioth with numerous habitats to occupy. As a rule of thumb, barioths are most commonly found at higher altitudes, usually within alpine and subalpine zones at a max elevation of 11,000 ft (~3352 m). Their white plumage camouflages them when they hunt along mountain slopes or open tundra, where they can motionlessly anticipate prey. Within forests, barioths have less success with concealment, as their uniform “pelt” color doesn’t break up their outline among the trees. They’re also hindered by foliage and have more difficulty maneuvering or building up speed. As such, they are rarely glimpsed in wooded areas.


	5. White Kirin

**Kingdom:** Animalia  
**Phylum:** Chordata  
**Clade:** Gnathostomata  
**Clade:** Tetrapoda  
**Clade:** Amniotes  
**Clade:** Synapsida **  
****Class:** Mammalia  
**Clade:** Scrotifera  
**Clade:** Zooamata  
**Order:** Perissodactyla  
**Suborder:** Hippomorpha **  
****Infraorder:** Alicorna  
******Family:** Mercuridae **  
****Genus:** _Psevdaisthisi_  
**Species:** _P. chaetes_

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**Binomial name:**

_Psevdaisthisi chaetes_

**Subspecies:**

Elder kirin, _P. c. furahiyensis_  
Jungle kirin, _P. c. equatorialis_  
Silver kirin, _P. c. chaetes_

WHITE KIRIN

INTRODUCTION

The **kirin** ( _Psevdaisthisi chaetes_ ) is an electrogenic ungulate, and one of two species in the genus _Psevdaisthisi_. The commonly used term **white kirin** collectively refers to the three recognized subspecies. Despite numerous references to it being an equid, the kirin is not a true horse, but rather a phylogenetic relative belonging to the suborder Hippomorpha. While horses and their immediate relatives adapted to grasslands, the kirin diverged away from the equid lineage, instead retaining its ancestral traits for woodland dwelling. A combination of folivorous dentition and leg morphology allowed the kirin to flourish in forest ecosystems. To date, the kirin’s range includes the jungles, temperate forests, and taiga of Goldorolis. Wide distribution across several biogeographic realms has resulted in many genetically diverse subpopulations. Proximity to the equator, ecotone habitation, and climatic conditions influence exaggeration of phenotypes, and greatly restrict polymorphism. An adult kirin can measure from 494 to 676 centimeters in length and weigh between 317 to 476 kilograms (roughly 700 to 1050 pounds), depending on the subpopulation. Both sexes can live between 30 to 34 years of age. 

Because the jaw morphology is suited for non-graminoid mastication, kirins primarily eat soft plant matter. Subtropical and temperate kirins consume 60% fruit and 25% leaves. The remaining 15% includes a combination of seeds, shoots, flowers, and nuts. Kirins found 40° N of the equator depend almost exclusively on the foliage of deciduous trees, perennial herbaceous plants, and berries endemic to middle boreal forests. Kirins live in small nuclear families year-round that consist of the parents and biological offspring. Largescale aggregation only occurs in the early spring, when kirin natal herds and bachelor herds convene in one location to reform their seasonal breeding herd. Reformation of the breeding herd begins in the spring, and coincides with the onset of the female’s estrous cycle. Herd dissimilation back into separate family units occurs at the beginning of autumn, when anestrus begins. 

Remarkably among mammals, the kirin is bioelectrogenic, capable of discharging up to 600 V from the apex of its horn. The only other mammal to share this feature with _P. chaetes_ is the rajang ( _Rakshasa pugilis_ ). The eastern jinouga ( _Hoplycan orientalis_ )—once thought to be another electrogenic mammal—was found to rely on a symbiotic relationship with fulgurbugs ( _Lampyris tonans_ ). The kirin’s silverhorn serves a secondary function as a defense mechanism for goring predators. Because of the horn’s value in traditional medicine and as part of religious ceremonies, there was a sharp population decline 125 years ago. Management efforts through the CDIHG in the last twenty years have restored the species’ numbers to an estimated 300,000 individuals globally. Although classified as near threatened, hunting is still legal during the fall and winter. Hunting bans are placed on kirins during the reformation of the breeding herd, in order to limit human casualties and avoid disruptions to their reproduction. 

Unlike other so-called “elder dragons,” the kirin isn’t widely associated with malignant characteristics. It’s often regarded as a symbol of luck, wit, and merciful judgment, and has strong ties to alchemy. Body parts are used in a range of products, from braided kinhair jewelry, to alicorn-fashioned hunting equipment, to even home decor.

ETYMOLOGY

Scholars agree that the kirin’s name is a romanization of the Chinese word 麒麟 ( _qílín_ ). The eponymous cryptid for which it’s named is a radiant beast with antlers, hooves, and scales, and was purportedly engulfed in flames. In all likelihood, the kirin’s existence inspired myths of the qilin in Shiki and Fonlon, where the kirin is not endemic. Shikine depictions of the qilin include draconic features, such as an elongated toothed snout and oriental whiskers like those seen on Eastern wyrms. In an example of cultural back-borrowing, travelers from Goldora exposed to the Shikine qilin began to refer to the kirin as an “elder dragon” because of the wyvern-like characteristics attributed to the qilin. Prior to this appropriation, the colonies of Furahiya were the only known worshippers of the kirin, but the bestowment of the title “elder dragon” quickly elevated the kirin to more widespread inclusion in religious pantheons.

TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION

Biologists have long disputed the classification of the white kirin and the number of subspecies it has. One popular notion is to place _P. c. equatorialis_ and _P. c. chaetes_ in a separate subgenus ( _Iskiuba_ ) and keep _Psevdaisthisi_ as the nominotypical subgenus for _P. c. furahiyensis_. The idea was first suggested after DNA sequencing revealed that stripe absence (a characteristic of the elder kirin) is the plesiomorphy of the most recent common ancestor, making _P. c. furahiyensis_ basal to the species. The idea that stripes in _P. c. chaetes_ and _P. c. equatorialis_ were a recently acquired trait (apomorphy) meant that they were more closely related, a theory supported by the fact that both are sympatric to each other—unlike the elder kirin, which is geographically isolated. However, when a female elder kirin and a male jungle kirin were kept in captivity together, they successfully produced a fertile foal. Viable offspring suggests that vicariance has not been in occurrence long enough to trigger allopatric speciation.

**Subspecies**

The current consensus is that the white kirin has 3 accepted subspecies, distinguished by geographic range and degree of expression for certain phenotypic traits.

The **elder kirin** ( _P. c. furahiyensis_ ) is a glossy white kirin native to montane ecosystems in northern Goldora. Its body pigmentation is a nearly uniform hoary color with either a complete absence of stripes, or (very rarely) milky-gray banded legs. It boasts a compact, voluminous mane, beard, and tail, with furry “boots” that start at the fetlock and extend past the hock. Dense fur and long guard hairs—with a reduced surface area of the scales—provide insulation against low temperatures. Their flexible, three-toed hooves and somewhat shorter legs enable them to jump and climb rocky slopes within subalpine forest. They are the least likely subspecies to be encountered due to population scarcity. Their primary natal herd sites include the Snowy Mountain Taiga and the Pokke Woods.

The **jungle kirin** ( _P. c. equatorialis_ ) is the second most common subspecies. Native to the tropics of the Jurassic Frontier, Telos Jungle, and the Jio-Terrado Wetlands, this subspecies is adapted to living amidst dense vegetation. Its body hair overall is significantly shorter and less compact, to lessen the amount of trapped heat, while its body is highly striated with dark jagged bands. Long, slender legs and a wide toe arrangement help it bound across the forest soil unimpeded. _P. c. equatorialis_ trends the shortest in terms of height, and has a mostly frugivorous diet.

The **silver kirin** ( _P. c. chaetes_ ) is the archetypal kirin to the layperson, and has the largest range amongst the subpopulations. An inhabitant of deciduous forest, the silver kirin can be found across central Goldora just east of Dondruma, and in certain pockets of the Shilkore Forest. It is regarded as the intermediary subpopulation for most physical characteristics, with its moderate blue-black stripes, fur length, and body size ratio. Due to its more frequent encounters with people, the silver kirin is much less skittish, and has even demonstrated inquisitive behavior. Perhaps as a consequence of these interactions, the silver kirin is the most easily provoked.

The white kirin’s closest living relative is the oroshi kirin ( _Psevdaisthisi katabasis_ ).

CHARACTERISTICS

Unique among the hippomorphs are the kirin’s proportions and overall girth in comparison to its extremities. The barrel (torso region)—visibly bulky in horses, zebras, and wild asses—is slender in _Psevdaisthisi_ sp. Selective pigmentation during the kirin’s embryonic stage activates melanin production in the stripes, while inhibiting melanocyte activity for the white body segments. The integument is _bicutaneous_ , composed of tessellated polygonal scales, and areas on the body where dermal stem cells induce follicular growth. The scales are comprised of both α- and β-keratin.Thick white hairs form a continuous mane that starts at the poll and wraps in a horizontal beard around the lower jaw. Fur growth extends from crest to dock, and ends in a stunted, tufted tail. Additional tufts of fur can be found on the shoulders and the back of the cannon. In subalpine populations, the surface area of the pelage is more expansive, and features a dense underfur. Ears are smaller and rounded in _P. c. furahiyensis_ to reduce heat loss, while southeastern ssp. have large, cupped pinnae to thermoregulate through vasodilation. The feet are tridactyl on both the fore- and hindlimbs. The feet only have keratinized hooves on the leading edges of their toes, with the bottom being soft for traction on the forest’s spongy substrate. 

The defining characteristic of all _mercurids_ is its helical _alicorn_ , which is located on the forehead. Unlike rhinocerids—whose horns are keratin-based and derived from modified corneocytes—the kirin’s alicorn is a perfect analog to the horns found in ruminant artiodactyls. The silverhorn is a grayish-white color with a fluted (grooved) surface, and is non-deciduous. This unbranched, unpaired structure has a cupric core of bone, with an external keratin sheath. The torsion of the silverhorn follows a sinistral curvature and tapers into a sharp point. While present in adults, the silverhorn is absent in foals, and only begins to emerge at the onset of pubescence. Polledness is a near-fatal condition in kirin due to their inability to regenerate the alicorn. To reinforce kirin protection, the IHG places steep, harsh penalties on hunters that exclusively remove the alicorn but leave the animal alive and unable to defend itself.

The pigment pteridine is responsible for the amber, orange, and red coloration of the kirin’s eyes. Two dark tracks along the kirin’s muzzle (called _tear lines_ ) connect the nares to the front of the eyes, and have no immediately discernable biological function. The nostrils are narrow openings at the front of the muzzle; the dissimilarity from modern equines’ larger, rounded nares may be due to differing environmental selection pressures. Horses and zebras have high oxygen demands for sprinting across prairies, and it’s thought that the larger circumference means more alar cartilage to hold the nostrils open during inhalation. By contrast, kirins aren’t reliant on running great distances to elude predators, and thus had no need for enlarged nostrils. A kirin can sprint at top speeds of 32 mph (51 kph), but only for short distances. They are able to travel at sustained speeds of 19 mph (30 kph).

**Alicorn and electrogenesis**

There is not enough paleontological evidence to conclusively say what selection pressures caused the emergence of the alicorn. Nor is there any consensus on whether the kirin was capable of electrogenesis before it evolved the horn, or if it only became electrogenic as a byproduct of horn acquisition. Intense speculation has been present within the scientific community for decades, creating a rich and colorful history of conjecture debating its evolutionary significance. 

What little _is_ known about the alicorn is that the bony core is not an outgrowth of the skull, but originates from a partitioned-off center of ossification found within the dermis and hypodermis of the foal’s horn bud. The keratinization of the horn bud epidermis does not induce ossification of the underlying dermis and hypodermis. Ossifying hypodermal tissue causes the frontal bone to grow upward and to form the base of the horn spike, which then fuses with the skull by dissolving it locally. The developmental origin of the silverhorn is identical to the formational process found in immature bovids.

Kirin electrogenesis has remained a non-conclusive study, like many biological marvels. The predominant theory is that the kirin’s two main electric organs—the Trojan’s organ and the doloripsum—work in concert to generate an electrical charge. The two end-to-end organs run parallel along the vertebral column, as they are largely derived from modified nervous tissue. The exterior lipid layer of the electric organs is thought to function like a reverse Faraday cage: fat is dielectric, or weakly conductive. Because fatty tissues contain a higher volume fraction of dielectrics than muscles and nerves (which are mostly full of aqueous electrolyte solutions (Na+, K+, Ca++) that are good electrical conductors), it’s believed that the insulative exterior protects internal organs from electrocution by keeping the charge contained to an isolated linear pathway. Both electric organs collectively consist of thousands of electrocytes. The posterior Trojan’s organ is negatively charged, while the more diminutive, anterior doloripsum is positively charged. Electrocytes stacked within the same layer connect serially, while each individual layer is “wired” in parallel. 

When discharging its organs, acetylcholine signals the electrocytes to open their ion channels, allowing sodium to flow through the layers and momentarily reverse polarity. The resulting difference in electric potential generates an electric current, which only strengthens as it moves through the two organs toward the horn. While unconfirmed at the time of writing, it’s though that the copper particulates suffused throughout the alicorn create a guided, electrically conductive pathway through the otherwise dielectric and mineralized matrices of the bony core. The horn’s keratin sheathe may help reinforce protection against self-electrocution—a theory supported by an absence of keratin at the tip of the horn, leaving the apex exposed for delivering the discharge to predators. At the point of contact, the recipient of the charge is grounded, and the charge moves into the aggressor from the apex of the alicorn to deliver a high-voltage, low-duration shock.

An ongoing study is looking at the implications of bone compression when exposed to a current. If the alicorn exhibits the reverse piezoelectric effect, then the current running through the horn during electric organ discharge may allow the bone to heal faster. Another thought is that the reverse piezoelectric effect, in addition to the patternized concentration of copper, imbues osteocytes with high thresholds for tissue damage and deflects injury during electrical conduction and exposure.   


**Integument**

Although the kirin is agile and adept at maneuvering, it ultimately evolved to live amongst trees and thus lacks the stamina and speed of steppe-dwelling equine. In response to predation, the kirin’s integument became highly keratinized with unique epidermal α- and β-keratin scales. This natural armor was reinforced by a behavioral shift in hyperarousal that made the kirin 80% less prone to fleeing attackers. 

Southeastern migration of _P. chaetes_ began around 100,000 years ago, as herds ranged into temperate and subtropic climates. Its body scales were co-opted for later use in mitigation of cutaneous water loss, and impregnability against haemophagic insects. This exaptation of the integument is widely observed in _P. c. equatorialis_ , where humid conditions and a correlative increase in insect biodiversity would have otherwise limited its expansion into Schrade and northern Arcolis. 

Researchers are divided when it comes to the evolutionary purpose of the kirin’s stripes. The competing hypotheses are: aposematism; motion dazzle; intraspecific identification; insect repellent; and homeostasis. Subscribers of aposematism argue that the kirin’s bright-white coloration and irregular stripe orientation make it visible at a distance. Its conspicuous pigmentation is an antipredator adaptation which advertises its electrogenic capabilities, much like a skunk with its noxious spray. Where this hypothesis falls short is that it fails to address the absence of stripes in _furahiyensis_ , which could act as camouflage against a snowy backdrop. The motion dazzle theory suggests that kirins in a large herd would appear as a single, flickering mass of stripes, making it difficult for a predator to isolate a single target. While this would be applicable to breeding herds, for half the year kirins live in small natal herds, making motion dazzle unsuccessful. Intraspecific identification would mean that kirin can remember individual arrangements of stripes. While stripe orientation and abundance are unique between individuals, it is unknown whether kirins can recognize conspecifics in this manner. The thought that stripes are less attractive to haemophagic insects (like the hornetaur and bnahabra) is based on the fact that these insects are attracted to linearly polarized light, which stripes disrupt. Not enough research has been documented to elevate this idea from mere conjecture to a substantiated claim, however. The most likely hypothesis (apart from aposematism/camouflage) is that stripes help kirins thermoregulate. Air moves more quickly over the black light-absorbing surfaces than the white patches. The resulting airspeed differential creates convection currents that would cool the body. The fact that _furahiyensis_ has no stripes, while _equatorialis_ exhibits a higher stripe gradation, supports this claim.

**Vision**

_P. chaetes_ ’ eyes are laterally-sided, giving it a discontinuous panoramic range of vision. Of the 350° a kirin can see, 65° of its vision are binocular, while the remaining 285° constitute its monocular vision. Its wide visual field gives it ample opportunity to spot predators, but leaves it with two narrow “blind spots” directly in front of and behind its head. In addition, its monocular vision limits its field of depth perception, forcing the kirin to compensate by raising/lowering its head and craning/arching its neck in order to focus.

All three ssp. are dichromatic, restricting their color vision to blues and greens, while making red indistinguishable. This characteristic is the result of the kirin having a short-wavelength-sensitive cone that perceives in the blue range, and a middle-to-long wavelength-sensitive cone that perceives yellow. Dichromatic vision is incredibly useful to crepuscular animals like the kirin, as the higher number of rods to cones enables them to distinguish shapes in achromatic conditions such as: cloudy or overcast weather; inclement precipitation such as hail or snow; and dense fog or mist. A tapetum lucidum increases the availability to light to its eyes, while a nictitating membrane protects the cornea. 

The kirin, a marginally slower species that most equids, has a smaller eye size in accordance with Leuckart’s law.

BEHAVIOR

**Intraspecific interactions**

The kirin is a complex social animal. Its behavior toward conspecifics shifts in accordance with the seasons, and its membership status within one of three groups: the natal (nuclear family) herd, the breeding herd, and the bachelor herd. 

In the fall and winter months, kirins live in _natal herds_ that consist of 1 – 2 adults, 1 older offspring between two to five years of age, 1 yearling, and 1 foal. Although kirin natal herds consist of a dominant monogamous pair, there is a clear social hierarchy, with leadership being matriarchal. In ideal conditions, the mated pair produces a foal once a year, which will stay in its natal herd until it reaches sexual maturity at four years old. Offspring can remain with their parents for an additional three years if they’re unsuccessful at finding a mate. The dominant female will reinforce positions within the hierarchy, which are doled out according to age. The ranking system determines which members get access to food and water first, what order the group travels in, and which kirin sleeps in the center of the group. Because the natal herd consists exclusively of biological kin, it reduces the risk of infighting. The parents (and eldest offspring) share the duties of scouting and fighting off predators. Adolescents will engage in a number of play and grooming behaviors to reinforce camaraderie and herd cohesion. Younger members of the natal herd that have committed infractions are sometimes punished by being temporarily banished to the periphery of the group. A single territory can average 50 mi 2, and is typically shared by three natal herds that are related either through siblings, aunts and uncles, or grandparents. Natal herds that share the same range will rarely interact, and on such occasions the encounters are amiable. Bachelor herds that venture into an occupied territory are attacked and chased out, even if the encroaching bachelor herd contains a former member of the natal group’s herd. The mated pairs within a home range will mark the territory perimeter through fecal and urinary scent-markers. 

_Bachelor herds_ , unlike natal herds, are not confined to a single territory, and their members are exclusively unpaired males. If a sexually mature male is unable to secure a mate during the breeding season, rather than remain with his natal herd, he will sometimes band together with other single males. One reason why young males may travel together is because their own natal herd has become large enough to result in resource scarcity or competition within the family’s ranks. The odds of a bachelor herd taking over the territory of allied natal herds are low, in part because bachelor herds seldom have the numbers to overthrow the combined might of the occupants. 

The final group, the _breeding herd_ , is a seasonal congregation of kirins within a certain geographic range. In the early spring, dozens of natal herds and a handful of bachelor herds convene in a single location to copulate and give birth. In some regions, these aggregations can range in number from 400 kirins to over a thousand. The arrival of the kirins coincides with the commencement of estrous. Males will engage each other in boxing, jousting, and other low-contact exhibitionist activities. The victors of these contests are determined by the unpaired females, which will approach males and signal to them through a combination of body and olfactory cues. Dominant males that have secured a mate from previous breeding seasons will cooperate with males from other natal herds to protect the collective group from predators, while similarly-ranked females will share in nursing and caregiving duties. This high degree of sociability ends with the onset of fall, as the breeding herd dissimilates back into separate natal herds and renegade bachelor herds. The reason the breeding herd is not maintained year-round is likely due to food availability: during the summer, resource abundance is at its highest, allowing large numbers of kirin to share space without competing. Winter means food scarcity, and there simply isn’t enough vegetation to sustain such a highly-concentrated population density. 

White kirin herds in the Everwood have been known to intermingle with oroshi kirin herds. 

**Browsing and diet**

Low-crowned teeth with semi-formed cusps, and cheek teeth with a crescent ridge of enamel, are adapted to chewing leaves, flowers, and fruit. The kirin is a hindgut fermenter, meaning that it has a single-chambered stomach. Digestion of cellulose is facilitated through the aid of symbiotic bacteria, which utilize microbial fermentation to break down plant matter in the large intestine and cecum. 

Field observations and gastrointestinal analysis have found that among the three subpopulations, the most common food items were the fruits and leaves from the paintberry bush, needleleaf plant, fireweed, assorted fern species, armorbark bush, cathangea, ramp, clovers, cherry trees, oaks, and ivy. 

**Enemies and competitors**

When threatened, arector pili muscles will cause the kirin’s mane to fluff out, creating the illusion of being larger than it actually is. A combination of agonistic displays—piloerection, snaking the neck, and pawing the ground with its toes—suffices in warding off most attackers.

The canopies of the forest offer protection from aerial predators, making it difficult for most vivernans to pick off members of a herd. In opportunities like these, smaller wyverns like the remobra ( _Metacarpium absconditum_ ) can take on the role of arboreal vultures. Flocks have been known to isolate infirm or elderly kirins from the natal herd and harass it with divebombing tactics. Depending the status of the kirin’s health, sheer numbers can often be enough to overwhelm the kirin and cause the natal herd to abandon it. More often that not, these assaults are unsuccessful.

The greatest threat posed to a kirin herd comes from ambush predators, pack animals, and hypercarnivores. The nargacugas (genus _Xyrafiptera_ ) are lethal hunters, able to track prey in complete darkness through their keen senses of hearing and olfaction. Able to avoid detection, a nargacuga can get near enough to grab foals and adolescents that have yet to develop their electrogenic capabilities. A kirin herd’s ability to repel predators is proportionate to how much warning they have in advance before it can strike. Cooperative hunters that live in social groups will coordinate attacks on herds when they’re migrating between areas. The vipracanids are notorious for stalking young kirin or stragglers at the rear of herds. Maccaos, wroggis, and orugarons are the pack animals most likely to hunt jungle kirins. Jaggis and velocidromes compete over silver kirins, while gendromes and blangongas will prey upon elder kirin. The deviljho and abiorugu will charge breeding herds and seize kirins at the fringes of the group, only to then retreat with their prey. These theropods are the only predators known to take healthy adult kirins.

**Attacks on hunters**

While the term “elder dragon” has little scientific credence, the Guild applies the term to animals considered too dangerous for casual and novice hunters. Hunters affiliated with the IHG require a special permit to hunt kirins, given the number of human fatalities every year. Very few attacks on people have been directly observed, as the attacks leave next to no witnesses. Post-autopsy reports have concluded that most people die from either electrocution, puncture wounds, or some combo of the two. High-voltage shocks can stop the heart if applied for long enough. Goring with the alicorn can result in internal hemorrhaging that proves fatal without immediate medical treatment. Fortunately, most interactions between kirin and people are long-distance sightings of the animal amongst the trees, before it retreats from sight. Attacks are only the result of direct provocation, especially if one ventures too near the breeding herd.

**Reproduction and life cycle**

Gestation can last up to a year, averaging anywhere from 330 – 350 days. When females go into labor, they often isolate themselves, even from other females. Labor lasts no more than 30 minutes. A single foal is born, although it isn’t unheard of for double ovulation to result in twins. As a precocial species, kirins are able to stand and follow their parents within an hour of birth, and start nursing after two. Mothers will eat the placenta after birth to conceal the scent of blood from nearby predators. The estrous cycle is triggered by photoperiod (day length), and occurs every 19 – 21 days from spring to early autumn. Foals are generally weaned from their mothers at half a year old.

HEALTH

**Diseases and parasites**

The best understood illness in kirins is the viral mercurid influenza. This highly contagious disease can induce fever, coughing, nasal discharge, and loss of appetite. In breeding herds, sick individuals are forcibly quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus. Dominant males will constantly check on the infirm kirin to make sure it hasn’t rejoined the group prior to its symptoms abating.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT  


Kirin become anxious when exposed to open sky, and will go to great lengths to avoid fields. One natal herd was observed walking 10 mi around the perimeter of a meadow, rather than cutting 2 mi directly across it. Subtropic kirin populations have been found as far south as the Metape Jungle in northern Arcolis, but never venture closer to the transitional sahel biome.

RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS

**In folklore, religion, and mythology**

Like many other elder dragons, the kirin is often venerated as a living god. The earliest known cultures to confer worship status on the kirin date back nearly ten millennia. Those born at the foothills of the Furahiya Mountains were the first to deify the kirin as a pagan god of storms and the north wind incarnate. Village priestesses would bring accused men before kirin to act as judges. It was believed that a kirin could discern the guilty, and would summarily kill the criminal while sparing the innocent.

During the height of the unified Schrade Kingdom, scribes began to circulate the idea that the kirin’s alicorn was composed of silver, based on the sheen and coloration. At the time, precious minerals were highly valued by religious institutions. It was believed that gemstones purified in the bodies of monsters would become imbued with certain elemental properties. Spurred by this information, temples dedicated to the Phantom Beast instructed acolytes to procure the horns, and powderize them with mortar and pestle. Members of the temple consumed powdered alicorn as an extract added to tinctures, assured it would create magical wards to dispel evil. Powdered alicorn was mixed with legitimate silver acquired from other sources, and for years was incorporated in recreational and ceremonial brews. While the ingested alicorn did nothing, the actual silver these priestesses were imbibing resulted in argyria, a condition which turns the skin blue. The grayish blue-white color their skin turned convinced them that the horn was assuredly silver, and was the source of the kirin’s own coloration. To this day, even after numerous publications dispelled the myth of the horn being silver, worshippers of the kirin still like to consume “silverhorn elixirs” for the sole intention of acquiring argyria. The modern recipe contains silverhorn only in name, and is instead a colloidal silver. In certain sects, only the High Priestess is allowed to consume colloidal to denote her status.

Because the kirin is a fertility symbol, and was believed to only be approached by maidens, High Priestesses undertake vows of celibacy. They regard themselves as a mother-figure not to any biological children, but to the temple membership, which they call their “herd”; and their worshippers, whom they regard as “their foals.”

**In art and cuisine**

Kinhide leather has been used for boots, gloves, helms, vambraces, belts, faulds, leg guards, and other assorted armor pieces. Masks fashioned from the same hide are often threaded through with hairs from the mane, to recreate the animal’s visage. Kinhair has a wide range of uses, including clothes, upholstery, art brushes, and even quilts. The kirin frequently appears on coat-of-arms in heraldry, and is widely used as a brand in legal systems and courts to symbolize just representation.

The flesh of the kirin is slightly sweet, tender, and low in fat. In some cultures, dishes prepared from kirin are strictly taboo, particularly amongst those that regard it with superstitious awe. Other cultures widely consume the meat in a variety of preparations, including smoked and peppered slices over toasted bread, apricot- and fig-stuffed electric organs atop a bed of greens, and skewered grilled chunks served with a spicy dipping sauce. What is advertised as “kirin butter” by streetside vendors is usually just margarine from kelbi milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've had the chance to update, in large part because I started my new job as a museum curator. I figured that I've had a year to get my job and personal life in order, so I can ease back into a more consistent schedule.
> 
> First order of business: in case you're wondering, I'm going to be doing elder dragons every five chapters. This was probably one of the hardest chapters to write thus far, and even then I had to fall back on the age-old technique of "if I use a ton of vague scientific jargon no one will be able to see the truth through the bullshit pseudoscience." Thank my sister for this chapter. She helped talk me down from the ledge whenever I wanted to take a sledgehammer to my laptop.
> 
> Second order of business: I like lore. In fact, I love lore. So from now on, whenever I post chapters about elder dragons, you get **Relationship With Humans**. A lot of what I say isn't canon and will definitely clash with Word of God, so if that isn't your thing then you can skip it, because it'll be at the end of the chapter.


	6. Glossary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be regularly updated with new terminology as needed, so readers can have an immediate resource for defining new or unfamiliar words used in-text. If there are any words that you'd like me to include, please notify me and I'll be happy to update the list. Definitions written and compiled by the author, with some wordings borrowed from _Integrated Principles of Zoology_ (14 ed.). Etymologies sourced from various websites, books, and online databases, including Wiktionary.

**A**

** acuomotor reflex ** The inflation of the gobul’s spines by taking in water and air into its elastic stomach to expand its body.

** aestivation ** (L. _aestivare_ , from _aestās_ , summer) A state of animal dormancy or torpor induced by high temperatures and arid conditions. Characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate.

** agonism ** (Gr. _agōnistēs_ , combatant) An offensive action or threat directed toward another organism.

** ailuromorph ** (Gr. _aílouros_ , cat, + _morphḗ_ , form) A pseudowyvern with features superficially reminiscent of felids. This includes (but is not limited to) a feathery integument analogous to a pelt, rictal bristles functionally similar to vibrissae, and obligate carnivory.

** alicorn ** The horn on a kirin’s head, the torsion of which spirals in a counterclockwise helix. Used for facilitating electrogenesis and goring attackers. Also known as a **silverhorn**.

** allogenic engineer ** Organisms that modify their biophysical environment by changing living or nonliving material.

** alpenstock  ** The barioth’s epidermal protrusions on the leading edge of the wings, knees, and lateral sides of the tail. Used for traction atop ice. Synonyms include “spine” and “spike.”

** anapsid ** (Gr. _an_ -, without, + _apsis_ , arch) Amniotes in which the skull lacks temporal fenestrae, with turtles the only living representatives. 

** anautogeny ** A condition found in insects where a gravid female must feed on blood before oviposition in order for the eggs to mature. 

** angiosperm ** Seed-producing, fruit-bearing, flowering plants. 

** anisodactyl ** The arrangement of digits wherein three toes face forward and are accompanied by a single back-facing toe. 

** anthrax ** A lethal disease caused by the bacterium _Bacillus anthracis_. Anthrax can occur in three forms: epidermal, respiratory, and intestinal.

** apex predator ** Carnivorous animals that occupy the highest trophic levels and have a disproportionate influence on the health of their ecosystem. They almost entirely lack predators of their own.

** aposematism  ** (Gr. _ap_ _ó_ , away, + _sêma_ , sign) Any number of conspicuous auditory, visual, and olfactory antipredator adaptations which advertise that the animal is an unprofitable prey item.

** aratrum ** (L. _arātrum_ , plough) The cranial bone of the barroth, comprised of trabecular tissue and enlarged sinuses. This structure houses the nasal cavities and supports five dorsally-located nares. The namesake for the eponymous genus _Aratrum_.

* * *

** B **

** benthos ** (Gr. depth of the sea) Organisms that live along the bottom of seas and lakes; adj., **benthic**.

** bicutaneous  ** (L. _bi-_ , from _bis_ , twice, + _cutis_ , skin) The condition of an organism with an integument consisting of both keratinized scales and fur.

** biological species concept ** A reproductive community of populations (reproductively isolated from others) that occupies a specific niche in nature.

** biome ** (Gr. _bíos_ , life, + _-ōma_ , body) Communities of plants and animals characterized by climatic and soil conditions; the largest ecological unit.

* * *

** C **

** caelincolid ** (L. _caelum_ , sky, + _incola_ , inhabitant) Any species belonging to the family Caelincolidae. 

** capillaturid  ** (L.  **_ capillātūra _ ** , false hair) Any species belonging to the superfamily Capillaturoidea. Named for their plumage, which is often compared to fur on mammals. Also known as **wig wyverns**.

** cathemeral ** An organism that demonstrates sporadic intervals of activity during the day or night.

** CDIHG  ** The Conservation Division of the International Hunters’ Guild. A group that assesses a species’ susceptibility to extinction, by monitoring populations and establishing criteria for Red List placement. Established forty years ago in response to loss of biodiversity, due to overhunting and anthropogenic ecosystem destruction.

** cephalovelos ** (Gr. _kephalé_ , head, + _vélos_ , arrow) The ribbed hood structure found on the lagiacrus’ head, studded with electroreceptors on its ventral surface.

** chitinase ** (Gr. _khit ṓn_, tunic) Hydrolytic enzymes that break down glycosidic bonds in chitin, most commonly found in bacteria and fungi, and to a lesser extent, some plants and animals.

** cloaca ** (L. _cloāca_ , sewer) The posterior orifice that houses the openings for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts.

** conflagrant tube ** A mucus-lined tubular organ that connects the flame sac to an opening in the oral cavity, where the byproduct waste gas can be expelled through the mouth. 

** conspecific ** A member of the same species.

** convergent evolution ** See **homoplasy**. 

** coprophagy ** The consumption of fecal matter.

** crepuscular ** An organism that is active at twilight (dawn and dusk).

** crypsis ** The ability of an animal to avoid detection through methods such as camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle, and mimicry. Involves visual, olfactory, and auditory concealment. 

* * *

** D **

** dagger ** [†] A typographical symbol that, when used next to a name, indicates death or extinction. Also called an **obelisk**. 

** desiccation ** The state of extreme dryness, or the state of drying.

** diapsid ** (Gr. _di_ -, two, + _apsis_ , arch) Amniotes in which the skull bears two pairs of temporal fenestrae, including birds and reptiles (barring turtles). 

** dog wyvern ** Any theropod species belonging to the family Vipracanidae. Includes the genera _Magnaraptor_ (the greats) and _Dromos_ (the dromes).

** doloripsum ** One of two electric organs derived from modified nerve tissue, that runs parallel to the kirin’s cervical vertebrae.

* * *

** E **

** ectoparasite ** Parasites that live on the outside of the host.

** ectothermic ** (Gr. _ektós_ , outside, + _thermē_ , heat) An organism that cannot internally maintain its body temperature and must rely on external sources of heat to moderate metabolic rates. “Cold blooded.”

** elaiopteral gland  ** (Gr. _élaio_ , oil, + _pterón_ , wing) An oil-secreting gland found on the inner forearm (antebrachial) of pseudowyverns in Capillaturoidea. The gland secretion is conveyed to the surface in hollow ducts, terminating at a modified spur. Used for maintenance of feather integrity, pheromone production, and waterproofing.

** elder dragon ** A catch-all term applied to unrelated animals with similar cultural and religious significance, that are capable of posing high-level threats to human populations. The term elder dragon is often a misnomer, applicable to species across unrelated taxa such as the lao-shan lung (squamate), yamatsukami (octopod), and kirin (perissodactyl).

** electrocyte ** Flat disc-shaped cells stacked in thousands that function by pumping sodium and potassium ions.

** electrogenesis ** The biological generation of electricity by living organisms. 

** electroreception ** The ability to perceive ambient electrical stimuli.

** electroreceptor ** Sense organs located in the skin used for electrolocation.

** endothermic ** (Gr. _endon_ , within, + _thermē_ , heat) An organism that can internally maintain its body temperature by balancing metabolic heat production by heat loss. “Warm blooded.”

** epibiont ** An organism that lives on the surface of an organism, typically in a commensalistic relationship.

** euryhaline ** (Gr. _eurús_ , both, + _háls_ , salt) A species that has a tolerance to a wide range of salinities.

** exsanguination ** Sufficient blood loss, normally to the point of death.

** extant ** When a species is still existing.

** extinct ** When a species is no longer in existence. Extinction is typically decided by the death of the last individual of a species. 

* * *

** F **

** Fatalis Trinity  ** An occult religion practiced the world over. Its chief deities are the Fatalis Brethren (species of the genus _Fatum_ ), whose worshippers believe that the fatalēs are living gods reincarnated in the form of six-limbed dragons. Their Temple maxim is _Damus nostra fāta tibi_ (“we surrender our fates to you”).

** fire gurgling ** An agonistic display seen in raths and espinas. The animal will release small concentrations of methane that ignite on contact with a hypergolic chemical secreted by modified venom glands, causing tendrils of fire to ooze from its jaws.

** fire regime ** The pattern, frequency, and intensity of wildfires prevailing within an area. Fire regimes are the interactions between fire and biotic/abiotic components of an ecosystem, and are an integral component of fire ecology.

** flame sac ** An organ connected to the stomach of raths and espinas, used for storing methane produced by microbial bacteria during the breakdown of roughage. 

** formic acid ** A carboxylic acid synthesized by ants in the family Formicidae that’s transmitted by sting from a modified ovipositor, spray ejected from the abdomen, or autothysis.

** formicary ** An ants’ nest.

** frenzy virus ** A viral disease that causes heightened aggression and acute inflammation of the brain after a period of incubation. The pathogen modifies its host’s mortality and behavior long enough to facilitate its transmission to other hosts. The shagaru magara is its primary vector.

** frost sac ** An organ derived from a heavily-modified foregut, found in the mountain barioth. The stomach oil stored within can be ejected in a forceful spray, which then rapidly cools once exposed to frigid temperatures. 

* * *

** G **

** gaster ** The bulbous posterior portion of the metasoma found in hymenopterans. 

** Gause’s law ** An ecological principle which states that species competing for the same resource cannot coexist if all ecological factors are constant. If one species has an advantage over the other, then the less fit species will either undergo extinction or an evolutionary or behavioral shift toward a different niche. 

**Goldorolis** The combined continental landmass of Goldora, Schrade, and northern Arcolis (excludes Arcolis’ southern deserts, and the Elde subcontinent). The term is a portmanteau of two of its constituent continents (Goldora and Arcolis). Analogous to _Eurasia_.

* * *

** H **

** haemal arch ** A bony arch on the underside of  tail vertebra. 

** heterodont ** (Gr. _heteros_ , different, + _odous_ ,  tooth) Having teeth differentiated into incisors, canines, and molars for different purposes. 

** heterogeneity ** A property ascribed to environments with a mix of uneven concentrations of multiple species (biological), terrain formations (geological), or environmental characteristics (meteorological). 

** homoplasy ** The emergence of a characteristic or adaptation shared by a set of species but not present in their ancestors, acquired independently by unrelated groups.

** hydrophyte ** Plants with specific adaptations for living in aquatic or marine environments, submerged, on the surface, or in proximity to water.

** hyperarousal  ** (Gr. _hupér_ , over, + M.E. _a-_ , away, + A.N. _reuser_ , rouse) A physiological self-preservation response triggered by a hormonal cascade from the sympathetic nervous system. Also called the **fight-or-flight reflex**.

** hyperphagia ** (Gr. _hupér_ , over, + _-phágos_ , eater) A preliminary stage to heterothermy, in which an organism will gorge in order to increase its body weight. It will then subsist off of the accumulated fat reserves during its seasonal metabolic depression.

* * *

** I ** ****

** immunohistochemistry ** The process of detecting antigens in cells by observing the principle of antibodies binding to target antigens in tissue segments.

** insectivory ** A diet of a carnivorous organism consisting chiefly of arthropods.

** International Hunters’ Guild ** An organization whose jurisdiction supersedes that of any government. Its foremost goal is to act as a support network for hunters, while providing education, medical attention, and economic opportunity to people. Abbreviated as **IHG**.

* * *

** J **

* * *

** K **

** keystone species ** A species (typically a predator) whose removal leads to reduced species diversity within the community, and the cessation of the entire ecosystem. 

** kinhair  ** The soft (montane spp.) and semi-coarse (equatorial spp.) fur and hair growing on kirins.

** kinsect ** Any number of domesticated neopteron species trained by hunters for insectry (Fr. _insecterie_ , from _insecte_ \+ _-erie_ ).

* * *

** L **

** leviathan ** A species belonging to the order Arcacollum, defined by the characteristic arched neck. The term has also been inaccurately applied to suchians such as the nibelsnarf.

** lynian ** A member of the species _Felis comes_. The term is not exclusively used with actual lynians, and can refer to bipedal organisms with humanoid characteristics such as the urukis and shakalakas (relatives of the human and wyverian).

* * *

** M **

**_ Mandibulaformia _ ** **** (L. _mandibula_ , jaw, + _fōrma_ ,  shape) A genus of flying wyverns characterized by an ossified protrusion of the jaw. While they serve no function in prey-capture or mechanical digestion, the sickle-shaped appendages are thought to be used in intraspecific communication.

** membranalan ** (L. _membrāna_ , skin, + _āla_ , wing) An organism from a clade of nonavian theropods. Characterized by membraned wings (with or without feathers), bipedalism, and endothermy.

** mercurid  ** (L.  _ mercuria _ , luck) Any species belonging to the family Mercuridae.

** motion parallax ** A monocular depth cue discerned through the proximity of objects, and how fast they appear to move relative to us.

* * *

** N **

** necrosis ** The death of cells and/or tissues within an organism due to disease, injury, or failure of the circulatory system. 

** necrotoxin ** Toxins that cause necrosis (death) in all cells they encounter and destroy all tissue types. Transmitted through the bloodstream. 

** nictitating membrane ** A transparent or translucent second eyelid. Protects the eye from UV exposure, debris, water, snow, and impact damage.

* * *

** O  
**

** olfaction ** The sense of smell.

** ovoviviparity ** A mode of reproduction in which the embryos that develop inside eggs are hatched and retained within the body without a placental connection to the mother.

* * *

** P **

** paradraconian ** (Gr. _rapá_ , _para_ , beside, +  _ drákōn _ , dragon) See **pseudowyvern**.

** patagium ** A membranous structure that assists an animal in gliding or flight. It is found in bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs, pterosaurs, gliding animals, true wyverns, pseudowyverns, bird wyverns, manticores, and dragons.

** pelage  ** (Fr. _le pelage_ , fur) The fur, hair, or wool of an animal.

** pentadactyl ** (Gr. _pénte_ , five, + _dáktulos_ , finger)  The condition of having five digits on each limb.

** phalange ** Digital long bones found in the hands and feet of most vertebrates.

** photophore ** A light-emitting organ found on various marine animals that appear as luminous areas on the skin.

** phylogeny ** (Gr. _phylon_ , tribe, race, + _geneia_ , origin) The origin and diversification of any taxon, or the evolutionary history of its origin and diversification, usually presented in the form of a dendrogram. 

** piscivory ** A diet of a carnivorous organism consisting chiefly of fish.

** pneumatization ** The formation of air-filled cavities in hard tissues such as bone.

** polledness  ** The state of being hornless.

** polymorphism ** (Gr. _polús_ , many, + _morphḗ_ , form) The presence in a species of more than one structural type of individual.

** praesidiosaur ** (L. _praesidium_ , fortress, + Gr. _sauros_ , lizard) Any species belonging to the clade Praesidiosauria.

** prenuptial hunt ** A behavioral assessment demonstrated by raths, in which a courting pair will hunt a prey item together. The success of the outcome determines whether or not the rathian will form a monogamous pair with the suitor rathalos. 

** proventriculus  ** The narrow, glandular region of the stomach located between the crop and gizzard that uses enzymes to commence digestion, and/or stores food. Also called the **foregut**.

** pseudowyvern ** (Gr. _pseudḗs_ , lying) An organism from a clade of nonavian theropods. Characterized by membraned wings (with or without feathers), pronograde posture (quadrupedalism), and endothermy.

* * *

** Q **

* * *

** R **

** receding rhampotheca ** A keratinized epidermal sheath found in many non-avian theropod lineages, thought to have once formed a full or semi-complete beak in ancestral species.

** riparian zone ** The interface between land and rivers/streams, characterized by a high biodiversity of hydrophilic plants along the banks and river margin.

** ruminant ** (L. _ruminare_ , to chew the cud) Cud-chewing artiodactyl mammals with a complex four-chambered stomach. 

* * *

** S **

** satellite colony ** _In hymenopterans_ : Small, outlying colonies staffed with soldier-caste ants that encircle the larger, central colony.

** scutum ** (L. _scūtum_ , shield) A chitinous extension of the pronotum, found on altaroths. Acts as an esophageal blockage when swallowed by barroths, and protects the head region when the altaroth sprays formic acid toward its anterior end.

** shellshocker ** An electric organ derived from modified nerve tissue, located on the medial region of the lagiacrus’ spine.

** symbiosis ** (Gr. _sún_ , with, + _bíos_ , life) The living together of two different species in an intimate relationship. Symbiont always benefits; host may benefit, be unaffected, or be harmed (mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism). 

** synapsid ** (G. _synapsis_ , contact, union) An amniote lineage comprising the mammals and the ancestral mammal-like reptiles, having a skull with a single pair of temporal openings.

* * *

** T **

** tapetum lucidum ** (L. _tapetum_ , tapestry, + _lūcidum_ , bright) A layer of tissue behind the retina in most vertebrates that reflects visible light, increasing the availability of light to photoreceptors. Enhances night vision in nocturnal and deep sea organisms. 

** thagomizer ** The distinctive arrangement of four to ten horizontal spines on the tail of vertebrates. Coined by artist Gary Larson and officialized by paleontologist Ken Carpenter. 

** torpor ** A state of decreased physical activity indicated by decreased metabolic rates and internal temperature.

** Trojan’s organ ** One of two electric organs derived from modified nerve tissue, that runs parallel to the kirin’s lumbar and thoracic vertebrae.

* * *

** U **

**ungulate** (L. _ungula_ , hoof) Any hooved mammal.

* * *

** V **

** vasodilation  ** (L. _vas_ , vessel, + -dialtion)The dilation or widening of the lumen in blood vessels. Results in decreased blood pressure.

** vicariance  ** (L. _vicārius_ , from _vicis_ , change)  The separation of a group of organisms by a geographic barrier, resulting in differentiation of the original group into a new species.

** vipracanid  ** (L. _vīpera_ , snake, + _canis_ , dog) See **dog wyvern**.

** vivernan ** (It. _viverna_ , wyvern, from L. _vīpera_ , snake) An organism from a clade of nonavian theropods, colloquially known as “true wyverns.” Characterized by featherless membraned wings, bipedalism, and ectothermy. 

* * *

** W **

* * *

** X **

** xerophyte ** (Gr. _xērós_ , dry) Plants with specific adaptations for living in dry environments with little moisture and precipitation, such as deserts or snow- and ice-covered biomes.

**xyrafipterid** (Gr. _xyráfi_ , razor, + _pterón_ , wing) Any species belonging to the family Xyrafipteridae.

* * *

** Y **

* * *

** Z **


End file.
